
Copyright N°. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



POEMS AND PROSE 




00/?-^-^ 



POEMS AND PROSE 



REPRESENTING IN FIVE PARTS SEVERAL DIF- 
FERENT CHARACTERISTICS AND 
EXPRESSIONS OF LIFE 

AND 

CONTAINING A SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF THE 
SYSTEM OF THE HUMAN INTELLECT 



i 

\ i, BY 

or oAbracke 

Author to "Religion and Politics," "Rights to 
Belligerency," Etc. 



CHICAGO 
1901 



1'the library Of 

CONGRESS, 
Onc Copy Riaivto 

APR. 17 1901 




- 



T) 



<£>^ 



Copyrighted, 1901 
By O. O. BRACKE 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



PAGE 

At the Entrance of the Twentieth Century - 7 

BOOK I 

Cause and Consequence - - - - 21 

BOOK II 

Equality Before the Law - - - 157 

BOOK III 

Freedom of Form .._.-. jSi 

BOOK IV 

The Power of Sentiment - - - - - 219 

BOOK V 

Selected Poems — 

Grandeur ______ 293 

Grown People ..-._- 294 

Our Great-Grandparents - 297 

Men-of-War ______ 300 

Memorial Day ------ 303 

The American Girl Cyclist - 305 

The Eagle ______ 308 

Alaska and its Treasures _ _ _ _ - 309 

Currency - - - - - - 321 

Our Home Swallows _____ 322 

The Homeward-Bound Striker - - 324 

Memorial of the "Maine" - 325 

Thanksgiving ------ 327 

5 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Politician in Minority - 330 

Sceptic -' - - - - - - 332 

Peace Reversed ------ 336 

Hope - 337 

The Chick - - - - - - - 339 

Outside the Fence ----- 342 

Coming to the Front --•_._ 345 

The Absence of Spring ... - 346 

Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johnsen - - - 348 

Henry George - - - - - - 349 

The Two Tribes - - - - - 351 

Morning ------ 362 

The Ocean - - - - - - 364 

The Orphan Child 368 

The Stranger Birds - - - - - 375 

Welcome to the Naval Heroes - 377 

Freedom of Speech ----- 380 



AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE TWENTIETH 

CENTURY 

Twentieth century, which now commence to enter 

Your appearance, fragile, around the Earth! 

Interests great from souls and mind 

Of the present human kind, 

About your unveiled secrets center; 

Long before the hour 

When your figures in power 

Mark the instance of your tender birth! 

Xew year introducing new year hundred 

Just emerging on unwritten leaves of times: 

As the moment strikes — the cannon salute due 

Contingency that secret clue, 

On untrodden space of time is numbered. 

While thronged before the mystic gate 

Mingle speculation, hope and faith, 

And lo, the twentieth century do recognition claim! 

Welcome from expectant man you thus were bidden, 

Marked mile-post on swift-rolling times! 

O, if he would allow them read what there is hidden 

In that immense and mystic roll, 

To realize in matter's broad-light scroll, 

He that omnipotent still its destiny and revelation claims! 

Hundred years — what broad, extensive slip; 

When as a whole — and past-gone space 'tis on the eternal time- 
board posted. 
And as Providential wonder, what a brief and measured dip 
Among the universal yonder: 
Passing details under laws and order 
In momental presence 

7 



As the real and active dues with claim or credit for the recent; 

While but the record of the sum, 

For times beyond to come, 

When preserved, has future worth and lasting. 

What an host of events lay concealed, 

Since expectant man will count by hundred, 

In this century's roll not yet unveiled! 

It will pass them all away who wondered — 

Loathsome at the old year gone, to watch the new year's birth: 

As it hastily forward flew we wrote the number 

Around the awake and civilized Earth, 

And took satisfied a new-year's slumber. 

God allows you all to keep a-watching 

For the century's birth and note the change; 

While he in power will motion times a-notchin', 

And by the new, transgression old avenge. 

Change the figures as fast as v years are coming; 

It is life that bears the secret clue. 

And when by centuries He progress up will summing, 

God will have it done by me and you! 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

In presenting this book before an interesting 
reading public, I perhaps ought to give reasons where 
the substance involves the present universal spiritual 
culture; for not considering the particular preference 
and high qualities of the several fractional directions 
representing the conspicuous factors in the modern 
appearance of our spiritual culture. My principal 
object in "Cause and Consequence" is to bring forth 
the true expression of an intellectual life, individually 
as well as universally, by the distinction of the 
different spiritual and physical sides or characters 
of life; and to exhibit the results of the unequal 
activity of the two principal faculties of the human 
being, the faculty of soul and that of reason, where 
the tendencies characteristic to either were the leading 
cultural tendency severally. Their contrasting char- 
acter is demonstrated by comparing the several 
different cultural instances from the practical life 
of history where either of these natural qualities 
of the human life bring the cardinal element in the 
cultural feature of the period or people. The differ- 
ence is so striking and consequent that it virtually 
determines the direction and results of the culture 
to which it elementally became the active motive; 
that is, where Destiny permitted its lifetime on con- 

9 



io AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

ditions of the natural facilities present — lengthy- 
enough to set off any important results. 

In almost every instance of those periodical 
glimpses of real and active cultural life, on the other- 
wise somber background of the remoter historical 
ages, the progress of civilization was only prelimi- 
nary works, and couldn't attain to an integrity 
of system, neither in the individual nor society; 
because they lacked the indispensable moral correc- 
tive, the truth of life, which is present systematic- 
ally, and cannot in partial absence be substituted 
by the power of imagination ; more than the essence 
of life can be substituted by its auxiliaries, and it is 
thus indivisable in the human being, as it is so in the 
revelation of the divine ideas taught by the Spirit 
of God. 

On the other hand, I have tried to exhibit the 
appearance of cultural life where these two faculties 
of the human life, the soul and reason, were element- 
ally brought to activity in coalescence, as a power 
expressing the truer qualities of life, as far as the 
advancement of the age would facilitate the condition, 
and with the degree of cultural evolution thus brought 
forth as the practical results. These facts may be 
demonstrated satisfactorily to the enlightened under- 
standing by my analysis of eminent historical indi- 
viduals that represented critical instances of the 
earliest evolution of spiritual progress; as, for 
instance, the period of theocracy. When in posses- 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 1 1 

sion of the thread of contingency, and with the 
mystified or hidden periodical connective links, 
enlightened and discovered, it will be seen that most 
of those revolutionary stir and tumble forth and 
back, which will so easily grow insignificant, from the 
standpoint of the present, were nothing less than the 
tremendous effort of divine truth motioned by the 
power of God, to establish his authority with man- 
kind through the gentler process of spiritual 
enlightenment. The contesting antagony being the 
evil element which had degenerated man to the strata 
of the common animal! 

The individual spiritual life, as well as the cultural 
standing of the age, expresses most characteristic and 
powerfully through those natural mediums of repre- 
sentation, in which the struggling impulses are born 
and often personified, especially at the critical emi- 
nences of cultural epochs and conspicuous junctures 
of contingency. So the readers and students of 
these important events, contributing from time to 
time to the present cast of civilization, need not 
entertain fear of being behind times by exercising 
their thoughts on the matter. Xor is there danger 
that the liberal exemplification of persons and periods 
containing the essential of what prove to be grand 
on one side and base on the other in the cultural 
struggles of the past ages, both of which are empha- 
sized in " Cause and Consequence," should be fraught 
with the tendency of reaction. This book, as far 



12 AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

as devoted on the subject, is the result of a thorough 
investigation of facts, and collection of scattered 
fragments of authentic historical deliveries. Truth 
exerts itself at any age and degree of cultural devel- 
opment, wherever it got the chance to become active 
with life, or whenever it may date its revelation. 
Its actual value is always its present .value. As a cul- 
ture-historical matter, you would, for instance, not 
depreciate the appearance of a certain modern struc- 
ture that by its unique size and architectural wonder, 
had won your admiration, if some one brought before 
you an estimate of the enormous amount of material 
consumed in its construction; and the fabulous 
length of time comprising its erection. That is, those 
who admire the present appearance of civilization 
from its superior and opportune advantages. 

Still, many will admit that the wonderful advance- 
ment of the present time, unprecedented in all history, 
is due to an abnormal activity and development of the 
material, while the several different qualifications 
belonging under the category of spiritual culture have 
been found to be, not only the less developed, but 
even scattered in a fractional chaos of disharmony; 
without the systematic connective characterizing its 
original propriety, and due it from its predominant 
qualities and divine destiny. A comparison of the 
two sides, would make it look as if all the faults 
of mankind were concentrated about the latter for 
a perpetual defeat. Theology, philosophy, and 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 13 

literature not only diversify in their respective natural 
classification, but each class on the line of spiritual 
culture, whether of scientific distinction or not, 
diverge into many different schismatic directions 
in proportion to the appearance of leading capacities 
of the period, which naturally personifies in talented 
and gifted individualities. When times are fraught 
with these tendencies which motion by the power 
of sentiment, the indication is present that the com- 
mon divine motive, always an essential characteristic 
to the universal spiritual culture at every progressive 
period of its history, is not actually present. If this 
should prove to be the fact, the question would arise, 
Does the present time again lack the indispensable 
universal corrective for our spiritual culture, the truth 
of life? Those who may consider their religious and 
social standpoint settled, will likely point to the 
powerful and modern-qualifying church organization 
to which they belong and answer in the negative ; 
while those who love the truth preeminently are 
ready to admit the inefficiency of even the most 
powerful organization, present, to equal the exi- 
gency. Still, we feel that great thanks are due 
to God for the enlightenment of truth we possess 
superior to former ages, but it may be difficult to give 
an account of the progressive measure contributed 
by the attitude of the time, in virtue of the apprecious 
enlightenment. That is, we acknowledge the 
enlightening qualities of the divine truth, while 



H AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

reality will prove its serious lack of authority for 
realization in practical life and for actual progressive 
purpose. The universal corrective in spiritual culture 
means, system. 

Science and art, on the contrary, seem to be des- 
tined for prosperity by the condition of the period, 
because the nature of this culture allows it a more 
unlimited field of pursuit into a branchial diversifi- 
cation, as the special natural facilitations may direct; 
by the impulses of genius, discoveries of physical- 
material laws, etc. But the universal corrective 
in this line of culture, apparently, is not the motive 
of its progress; while it may be, with the several 
individuals in a different capacity. The reason why, 
is* sought and brought to light in "Cause and Conse- 
quence," and other parts containing the substance 
of this book. 

Many of us have felt the tangible condition of the 
situation as formerly alluded to, and still more of them 
have become confused by the disparity found between 
the destiny of the human life in ideal sense, and the 
practical reality, because they tried to solve all the 
problems of life with the same key of solution, with- 
out regard to the spiritual or material character 
of the affair in question. Not only the individual life, 
but learned schools and prominent teachers and 
scholars, have been confronted by stumbling blocks 
on these apparently mysterious ways of life, and 
where those obstacles assumed the gravity of insur- 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 15 

mountable obstructions, the sequence often became 
a schismatic difference of opinion on theoretical 
grounds. But not all have built their house of life 
on scientific ground, so the greatest damage done 
in offending sense may be found with the people 
at large. 

The moral responsibilities devolving upon the 
bearers of civilization is supposed to increase in pro- 
portion to the opportunities that may be gradually 
brought forth with it from time to time, and thus 
facilitating the natural development; that is, during 
the progressive cultural periods. We have become 
aware of what former ages were unconscious of, or 
conceived only as the ideal object of remote realiza- 
tion — the presence of a divine corrective, system- 
izing from the laws and principles of truth, and 
of positive character and authority. 

Thus far has civilization brought — or will bring — 
the enlightening results of the wonderful process 
of cultural evolution, through divine revelations, 
discoveries, and experience! And with the blessings 
issuing from the enlightening truth, it also reflects the 
responsibilities more and more distinctively as the 
light grows powerful. But in the probability of the 
contrary, suppose you discovered this particular line 
of our cultural life, on a backward move, while other 
lines of different nature were in the process of rapid 
development ! Such things might easily happen, and 
carry on unobserved to the general consciousness 



1 6 AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

of the time. In the stir and hum of the material side 
of civilization which is developing to such immense 
dimensions, the unseemingly might happen, that the 
great things could be buried under the little things. 
Quantity and quality do not follow in proportion 
in the affairs of life, so as to signify the actual value 
of either. , But since the remedy may be found 
present with the opportunity, the fortunate destiny 
of mankind, especially where civilization shall be 
represented, may be preserved by the zealous obser- 
vation of the laws of life and the revealed will of God. 
By introducing to the reading public this book, 
which is the beginning of a series of works of similar 
character, with the object of bringing into system 
thoughts and ideas of vital importance to cultural 
progress generally, and to the spiritual side of it 
especially, I beg the caution of those who may con- 
sider their religious standpoint settled on doctrinary 
grounds, not to consider as offending to their belief 
what may be found to be new realizations of truths 
and unprecedented discoveries; but deal with the 
doubtful scientifically until I, with some future works, 
may arrive at a system of completion. I have taken 
special care to let the truth exert itself, and let it, with 
the auxiliaries of facts obtained from practical reality, 
demonstrate that the true expression of the human 
life as the result of God's work is not the chaos which 
apparently seems to be the fact, from the miserable 
condition of certain states of humanity, and the 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 17 

material splendor of some others. The truth is sys- 
tem, whether active in spiritual life or by physical- 
material laws. This be said in order to remove 
possible prejudices prevalent on traditional ground. 
The authority of the spiritual truths which have 
already gained the attitude of popularity is not best 
maintained by excluding the current vivifying 
impulses of recent origin; inasmuch as the individual 
spiritual life, for instance, couldn't be supposed 
to maintain activity and a healthy growth by a once- 
for-all capital conception of the idea. 

Having made sincere efforts to do justice to the 
substance of the contents, I may have committed 
technical errors, for which possibilities I beg the 
pardon of the intelligent readers. 

Your obedient to the Truth 

Author. 



FIRST BOOK 

CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE IN THE ACTUAL 
STRUGGLE OF CULTURAL PROGRESS 



DEMONSTRATED BY DIVINE LAWS OF TRUTH AND HISTORICAL 

FACTS REPRESENTED FROM EMINENT INSTANCES 

OF THE CULTURAL EVOLUTION 



CHAPTER I 

If life in its appearance of diversified forms could 
be subjected to a systematic analysis, it might be 
found to evolve from one principal universal cause. 

The magnificence of life becomes apparent by 
degrees of its diversification of form, in which 
it gradually develops the multitude of its natural 
characteristics to the details of its lowest degree or 
apparent insignificance of form, or vice versa; evolving 
by degrees of the different kinds all its natural quali- 
ties until it reaches the appearance of its highest 
exponent, which represents perfection. A comparison 
of the many different kinds constantly before our 
view will reveal to our apprehension the ideal which 
is contained in the highest exponent; while every one 
of the diverse kinds is a perfection in itself, from its 
independence of form. 

The material appearances of life may in neither 
of its many different forms reflect the real essence 
of the Creator, while every original characteristic in 
any form of life will indicate more or less significantly 
the supernatural and magnificent power of the being 
of God. The term supernatural, invented and fre- 
quently applied by divine authorship, will confirm 
my hypothesis, that the essence of spirit may be irre- 
tainable with material substance. 

21 



22 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

Life is a divine ideal in its universal being and 
in its material appearance that contains the exponent 
of its principal natural qualities to a degree of perfec- 
tion — the human being. The diversification of kinds 
and classes in the lower forms of animal life are not 
ideals — even at their specific state of originality. 

The divine ideas are conspicuous to man by their 
revelation and specific properties as far as they have 
been conceived ; while their essence and character are 
indefinite and incomprehensible to man; that is, they 
are eternal as to origin and destiny. Divine ideas 
realize and succeed in time and eternity. 

The divine idea which realized in the appearance 
of life on the earth established the ideal in two princi- 
pal characteristics of the same essence — the universal 
being of life, and its appearance in the highest expo- 
nent of every other form and qualification of life 
which is the original nature of mankind ; the latter 
specify life in the details of individualities. Both 
of these principal characteristics of life are ideal, not 
only from their high potents of essential qualification, 
but also from the presence of a human spirituality 
which is not apparent with any other known form 
of the magnificent display and diversification of 
material life. The divine idea realized by the origi- 
nation of man is equivalent to the divine ideal of life 
in the individual spirituality, which elementally differs 
from the material life as immortality differs from the 
mortal. 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 23 

The divine idea of the presence of life will realize 
perfection in any form of the animal and organic 
appearance of life, as well as with the many physical 
and organic laws of nature; while perpetuity may 
be essential with neither of all these multitudes 
of wonders of creation which have assumed material 
forms. Oblivion is to the material what eternity is 
to the spiritual. 

Then the divine idea which caused the appearance 
of life would realize the divine ideal by vesting the 
superior quality of immortality with the human being, 
in the presence of the spiritual character, the soul. 
What a beautiful star that radiated its superhuman 
rays from the horizon of time at the morning of cre- 
ation! What an apprecious gift is life to the human 
kind which was consecrated children of God ! 

Otherwise, the appearance of life in any kind 
of form and natural qualification is ideal in the 
general sense of the term ; where perfection is under- 
stood by originality. But the divine ideals contain 
the properties of their real essence, while the ideals 
of man may do so, and may be merely matters of con- 
templation. The former are infinite and eternal, and 
oblivion has no space for them, and the material 
no details, while the latter may be limited to period- 
ical values, or pertain to details of form, quality, ways 
and means of both spiritual and material nature. 

The particulars pertaining the origination of 
mankind as well as the universal material world are 



24 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

details important as historical data mostly, and 
to gratify our sense of knowledge, as may be the 
circumstances connected with the much deplored 
original fall into disobedience of the divine will 
of God, and to which accident the general disqualified 
condition of the present sinful state of mankind is 
attributed. The consequences have developed the for- 
midable magnitude of a world-power — while the cause 
may be distinctive to the present advanced stand- 
point, by the fact that the matter has become every- 
body's personal affair. Or, could that fatal accident 
which befell a couple of persons at the beginning, 
contain the historical eminence that would make 
it tower up above the horizon of all civilized ages 
as a visible monument for all times? But, whereas 
the divine ideals have no details, the success of the 
human race was not made dependent on the particular 
process of the origination of it, nor countermanded 
by the fatal accident with a few individuals, even 
if the consequences of it involved the entire race. 

Progress is a characteristic with all divine ideas 
which may have revealed to the conception of man, 
and with some of them this may be the principal 
characteristic. It would be revolutionary to the laws 
of order to use the cause and consequence of the 
evil as measurement for the similar order of the 
good. But if the originating cause be a divine idea 
above the comprehension of man, as to the definite 
extent of it, the consequences emerging from its 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 25 

realization could be nothing less than success. Such 
terms as failure of the divine ideals is absurdity; 
but the apparent difficulty to realize as destined 
comes from the inability of the disqualified man to 
grasp them for practical application to life, and in 
such exigencies the details of the human life may fail 
by individuals, generation, and ages, and yet the very 
same idea by the opportunities of to-morrow may 
propose the same properties as the infallible means 
of success and salvation to the several individual as to 
the race at large. A thousand obstacles, though, 
may debar the presumptive situation from the possi- 
bility of acceptation, as is often the situation with the 
remote state of heathendom, but those people who 
may be destined for the lucky possibilities as the 
bearers of civilization, will undergo a preliminary 
clearing-process which may consume thousands of 
years, more or less, and during all this waste of time 
the idea which should light for them was proposed 
at every opportunity which contained the possibility 
of the convenient condition. 

The present disqualified condition of man (sinful 
state) has not issued or developed from the original 
properties of life, but is the result of a virtual reversed 
order of the individual spirituality. The potents 
of the human life which represented all the higher 
qualities of the universal being of life, realizes power 
of activity only in the material man, as a second 
nature. Without divine enlightenment and guidance, 



26 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

the human being, with the assistance of the foremost 
natural qualities of life, could not be kept from 
sinking into spiritual insignificance — a fact which 
is demonstrated by degenerating individuals as well 
as people. This will indicate that the superior 
qualities connected with the human life consist 
principally in the facilitating privilege to be governed 
and guided by the evolution of the holy will of God. 
Even at the original state of perfection the potence 
of human life was utterly insufficient to establish 
an independent spiritual being in man; the very effort 
to do so was a revolting act which caused the reversal 
of the individual spirituality and all the misery to 
mankind that followed; the riches and beauty of life's 
apprecious qualities could not develop their natural 
function without the enlightenment and coalescence 
of the divine spirituality, which is the Holy Ghost. 

History at its stage of infancy found humanity 
ascending from the fearful slope of degeneration and 
barbarism. Only a few peoples, containing a fractional 
part of the entire humanity, participated in the 
cultural effort — or more properly termed, were made 
the objects of a civilizing influence. The factors 
of the cultural process at that instance were not 
enlightenment of divine spirituality, nor the mediums 
of learned schools and literary treasures, but they 
underwent the slow process of cultivation which the 
positive laws of nature impress on the negative 
senses of reason ; where these natural facilities were 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 27 

not erased by vices and other deprivations. The 
agencies of nature are capable of bringing forth a 
refined state of culture to the material man, and 
the penalties for disobedience vary to the degree of 
capital punishment. But there must be some quali- 
ties present which are not wholly corrupted by the 
unnatural ; or else the result may be extermination 
of the parties involved, for the inevitable consequences 
know no mercy. Hence, the many that went into 
total destruction because they went too far in their 
cruel deprivation and trespasses of every natural law, 
while the conditions were not present to reach the 
divine love for safety. 

Meantime, the divine ideal of the human life had 
not vanished; the terrible pause in the evolution 
of spiritual progress involved a waste of time and 
a waste of generations and ages of humanity, the 
magnitude of which will baffle our comprehension. 
Humanity coped with the consequence of its errors 
on every road of diversion from the truth, and exer- 
cised every manner of a falsified expression of the 
original character of life, without knowing the cause 
of its calamities and sorrows, as the natural appre- 
hension of divinity connected with the human life 
became eclipsed by the reversal of the individual 
spirituality. The spiritual man suffered the state 
of a degenerated condition negatively, on account 
of being reduced to a moral standpoint away below 
the originality of his kind, while the material man 



28 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

indulged the possible happiness that the moment and 
circumstances would permit him. During all these 
adversities to humanity, nature, in its array of splendor 
and profuse variety of diversification — in its material 
and physical appearance — performed its functions 
faultlessly, as did it on the complemental morning 
of creation.' It may be evident that the laws and 
order of nature are not reversed even when directed 
by the Supreme Ruler, for extraordinary actions; for 
instance, to execute divine judgment against the 
erring mankind, materially. 

The opportunities are still present, to any one who 
may be interested on the specific subject, to go into 
the details of reality and ascertain the surface con- 
dition of the human life, where the deplorable sides 
may "easily indicate to reason the apparent failure 
in subjective sense; and the objective destiny of life 
may easily be thrown into obscurity by the aspect 
of reality. Where is, then, the divine ideal of life 
to be distinguished? It is a connecting possibility 
with every human individual, being constantly propos- 
ing an opportunity for safety and amnesty, equally 
real with the existing laws of life and equally requisi- 
tive as to the conditional submittance to the divine 
laws of order. God is a far more eminent majesty 
than man was ever capable of imagining him ; his laws 
and systems far more exact and positive than the 
reasoning man could fully comprehend. Why should 
it, then, be divine despotism and human thralldom 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 29 

when the fancies and vanity of man must give way 
and submit to such superhuman essence of power, 
and magnificent display of systematic order? Man 
was originated free, and the individual intellect 
an integrity. He has the facility to choose the good 
or the evil way, and to own allegiance to God or 
Satanas; and but for the lucky fact of a constant 
fusion of the eternal love by ways of renewed propo- 
sitions of opportunities to the fallen mankind, which 
are expressions of the divine idea connected with the 
existence of life in the human form, man would have 
chosen the way to destruction persistently until exter- 
minated from the face of the Earth. 

The reversed condition of the individual spiritu- 
ality be the chief cause that man exercising his free 
will of choice erringly in questions of moral nature. 
This may be the fact with the presence of a healthful 
and normally developed mentality. 

The most conspicuous characteristic of the human 
life may be the individual system of intellect; this 
be far superiorly qualified than the physical system 
of man, because it contains the spiritual element 
of life, besides all the nobler material qualities 
by which the entire existence of the individual 
is destined and dependent on, perhaps for time and 
eternity. It systematizes from several different natural 
elements subtile to a degree of the indescribable, and 
which activity is a perfect harmony so as to represent 
the wonderful and mysterious being of life in an inte- 



30 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

gral appearance. This being of the individual 
intellect is facilitated to conceive and obey the divine 
will, and destined to act in conformity with the 
revealed laws of God, and in harmony with the laws 
of nature. 

But this system interrupted, and the several ele- 
ments active* separately, in discord or intermediate 
opposition, will draw serious consequences to the 
individual lif j and ultimately bring failure and destruc- 
tion. The ideal pertaining it, though, will always 
succeed by the mastership of providence, by the 
presence of these noble and wonderfully facilitating 
qualities, even if it fails in details as the result 
of reversed conditions. 

The intellectual man is composed of two principal 
and different elements — the soul, with its faculty 
of belief, conscience, and will ; and the reason, with 
its faculty of the physical mentality. These two 
principal elements of life may, from their difference 
of character, be properly called the spiritual man and 
the materia, man ; significant to their different distinc- 
tive capacities and i.ature, when active severally in 
the instances of absence of a system of intellect. 
Otherwise, the coalescence of both is necessary for 
the obtainance of an integrity of life in one indi- 
vidual ; and I will make it an object of this particular 
writing to show, from examples of the different 
ancient cultural people, the effect produced on the 
cultural feature when one or the other of these 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 3 1 

elements of life was specially the active factor of the 
leading current of thoughts. Reality shows that even 
the modern civilization diversifies into opposite 
directions, and either of them strongly animated 
with the tendency of claiming the predominating 
attitude, while the modest opinions, scientific direc- 
tion, or religious faith, which object be activeness 
in conformity with the truth, may be entertained 
to conspicuous degrees without claiming the distinc- 
tion of propagandas. The spiritual culture resulting 
from the civilizing agencies at large is destined for 
systematic composure and harmony from similar laws 
to those which necessitate natural system to the 
individual spiritual life — since the existence of the 
human life is a divine idea. Otherwise, the integrity 
of life in individuals would become as many inde- 
pendent beings and separated from the universality 
of life, when God ceases to be the leader. Divine 
ideas have no details, as they have no definite ulti- 
mate; but the integral individualities become, in 
spiritual sense, the active agencies of life, and 
contributal to the universal whole. 

The general appearance of civilization as a sur- 
face power derives from the individual life as the 
cultural origination of it; and the most healthful 
results, as well as the disadvantages and failures, may 
be traced to the individual attributions as the indirect 
cause, while the general condition of the life at large 
is the consequence. 



32 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

A contemplation of the existing familiarities 
in physical organism to the lowest degree of the 
animal world might embarrass our comprehension 
of the original nobility of mankind, lest we distinctly 
ascertain its superior qualities and destination by its 
spiritual being and faculties. Inactiveness of these 
faculties, or the erroneous development of them, 
which may result in degeneration to an apparent 
lower state of being, do not prove their absence; the 
Creator has provided the natural facilities for the 
intellectual being, to a degree of original normality. 

The principal elements of intellect, as formerly 
mentioned, might both be spiritual qualities, from 
the fact that either one of them may be developed 
on the account of the other. Otherwise, the agencies 
of reason would suggest a physical qualification, 
which, though, could not be probable on account 
of its absence with the organic-animal life beyond 
that of mankind. 

The activeness of either of these elements is not 
independent; it may be divisible for comparative 
elementaries in specific scientific and spiritual life 
and specific lines of professional occupations, but a 
center of gravity is obtained only by their close co- 
operation. 

The action of soul may be inaccessible for a reason- 
able analysis; only one side is perceptible: The 
consequences. Even appearances of physical nature 
are impossible for a characteristic solvance; the 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 33 

causes may be hidden so carefully as to completely 
mystify their identity from the consequences. 

Reason is a negative element in man. It must 
be moved by some striking impression in natural life, 
or by the impulse of a desirous tendency or craving 
for knowledge, and to unveil the mysterious, before 
it sets to work and investigates. Hence, a limited 
portion only of the great wonders in the household 
of nature have been brought to light up to the present 
time, as the results of a reasoning cultural life alone. 
But in many instances of natural life in man, a well- 
developed mentality without scientific culture, when 
not imposed on by vicious habits, knows from observ- 
ances to apprehend and distinguish the causes pro- 
ducing the different consequences in the individual 
existence and surroundings, and to know them 
particularly may be to establish generally. 

God seems to have mystified the human life, to pre- 
serve its beauty by connecting mortality with immor- 
tality, reason with soul, the material with the spiritual, 
the demonstrating consequences with mystified causes, 
and organically familiarized it with series of lower 
classes in the animal world until it approaches down 
to the stuff into which, by laws of order, mortal 
beings shall be transformed. The divine apprehen- 
sion of the soul must find and retain an equivalent 
to connect with the invisible God, the Creator, 
to maintain the dignity and nobility which destine 
it for eternity — belief. 



34 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

However brilliant the enlightenment with the 
original appearances of the human race has been, the 
first lessons, or commencement to knowledge, as a uni- 
versal means of civilizing mankind, seems to be 
apparent in some laws of nature involving the syste- 
matic order of cause and consequences. These invite 
for a life-long course of teaching the children 
of nature of to-day with the same vehemence and 
sincerity as they did thousands of years past, and 
propose to take up again and commence from the 
beginning with those who have lost the light of civili- 
zation, and whose apprehension and faith in the will 
of God was substituted, with the exercise of their 
natural facilities in the service of the evil powers. 
These first lessons in natural science are so closely 
connected with the senses of man that we cannot 
avoid noticing them. The effects are forced to 
impress at almost every instance in life, and the 
causes so near the surface of understanding supported 
by positive exactness and regularity, that only a 
despicable indifference could omit to note. 

God has mystified the causes for some of the most 
interesting appearances in life and nature, but not 
hidden those which are laid within the range of com- 
prehension ; the individuals have their limits in capa- 
bility of knowledge, and civilization has its safety- 
valve. We need only glance at history to ascertain 
the rate of progress. 

This systematic connection of causes and effects 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 35 

invites to a continual exercise of reason to bring forth 
enlightenment which produces happiness when success 
be obtained, besides inspiring to obedience to the will 
of the great Inventor, by recognizing the inevitable 
consequence of the enforcement of these unwritten 
laws. An adverse and hostile feeling against the 
enactment of these divine laws in nature may be the 
result of a degenerated intellect and a blunted con- 
science, where no corresponding enlightenment by 
divine teachings has created a stability of soul. 
These conditions are not evident with people in the 
most remote state of culture, but with those falling 
off from a more advanced state of knowledge and 
enlightenment. But what is the use to count 
by generations in the great current of times? They 
disappear, and others succeed them, and the course 
of teaching starts with the successors unceasingly, and 
yet always with the beginning lesson. And the 
object is a continual appeal to reason through the 
natural senses of man ; rudely, perhaps, or kindly, 
as the condition of the result is more or less advanced. 
By thus exercising the faculties of reason, they clear 
the ground and keep away the wild growth of vices 
and superstition and prepare for a more advanced 
state of knowledge. And knowledge may become 
enlightenment, and the light is God. 

Inspired knowledge and ideas are conceived by the 
faculties of soul and cannot be apprehended by reason. 
When the inspiring divine ideas were brought to man 



$6 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

as the properties of general enlightenment, a prepara- 
tory work had been aggressive, perhaps, for many 
centuries. The reasoning element was brought to 
activity, and the results were possibilities for organi- 
zation, submittance to rules and order, and a righteous 
tendency of thoughts and doings. The introduction 
of a higher spiritual life could not be possible 
unless facilitated by those preliminaries which are the 
perpetual works of the laws of nature,, when not 
taught theoretically, when connected with man. 
The acceptance of the living word is admittance 
to the service of God, and contains the most conscious 
personal self. A sudden introduction of such high 
ideals without the facilitating preliminaries might 
cause, an alteration between vices and virtues, and 
result in spiritual bankruptcy. Christ illustrated the 
condition directly when exemplifying with "the new 
wine in old leather flasks," etc. 

When Providence teaches the reasoning human 
race by inspired knowledge or by the laws of nature, 
it leaves no alternative in question as to the real 
object. But the results, when investigated into, 
speak loud as to the condition with the parties con- 
cerned. Reason would think: What a waste of time 
when centuries roll by, teaching with the same rules 
of order and in the existence of some people still 
finding the generation of yesterday at the beginning 
lesson. 

From the standpoint of our time, it may be thought 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 37 

impossible to realize spiritual culture without the 
influence of authority by the medium of the spoken 
word. And yet the early historical cultured people 
seem to furnish the evidence for it ; although it was 
not until a period which brought the different tribes 
and nationalities in contact with each other, that they 
effected a turn of rapid development; they exchanged 
what were not common with either, while others were 
destined to make the delivery from one period or age 
to another. Any literary exchange conveying learn- 
ing theories were not in order or practice; it being 
the custom to carefully hide away such literary treas- 
ure in the government possession. Their efforts are 
carried by a similar intention with the different people, 
which developed in cultural refinement — to preserve 
historical materials. While they thus thought of the 
coming generations, the real object was evidently 
to forward a record of their own supposed greatness 
and achievement. 

The active laws of nature thus carry out the per- 
petual will of God, in diversified ways and manners, 
as far as they are destined. They end their series 
of works at the door of the beginning of their works. 
As to the human race, the cradle and the grave are 
not the extremities of a certain effort pending the 
initiative of success or failure, as to the different 
individual ; they are instances mysteriously linked 
together in a perpetual system. It is eternal love 
in the magnificence of active power, realizing in syste- 



38 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

matic stability, with inactivity and oblivion as its 
negative. Physical laws are active in diversified forms 
and appearances to promote and watch and guide 
organic life in its multitude of degrees and kinds, 
without letting the individual disappear in the life 
at large; an unbroken, inseparable chain of connec- 
tions by a systematic regularity, and yet each one are 
integral being destined for a certain work in life and 
chanceful for success. 

Instead of throwing her children away and leave 
them to their own fate, as might be the impression 
by a flighty glance at the condition of things, nature, 
with solemn watchfulness, undertakes the care and 
development of every faculty of life which comes 
under the categories of what may be classed her direct 
supervision, with the assistance of the multitude 
of hand-maidens, in the appearance of diversified sys- 
tem of divinely originated natural laws. 

When the franchise of enlightenment is destined 
exclusively for the human race, the cause may be 
apparent, for the fact that knowledge is taught with 
an effort to a degree of being forced on reasoning 
mankind from the instance thinking is brought to be 
awake. The result may be a success with the indi- 
vidual, but the gain contains what may be preserved 
for coming generations. 

While nature thus works the ground for an 
advancement of knowledge, the inspired theories were 
always received by a few, but not the less destined 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 39 

for the free acceptance by anybody. An evidence 
for their higher degree of qualification may be that 
they appeal to the will of man. They convince by the 
power of truth the apprehension of soul which they 
speak to. God proposes enlightenment by his Spirit 
different from that applied by the laws of nature, and 
it may be listened to and conceived by the faculties 
of soul. A spiritual life commences when the intellect 
of man is balanced by the activity of the soul. The 
invisible is thus established in man by ideas which 
own in the future through the belief. The unreason- 
able truths are eminent on account of their incompre- 
hensibilities. A spiritual life is active when the 
element of soul can maintain and realize its appre- 
hension, or belief, against the demonstrated facts 
produced by the element of reason. 

When a spiritual life has thus become active, the 
faculties of reason and their works become auxiliaries 
to the power of the soul. 

Reason constitutes the intellectual connective with 
man, between the soul and the mentality common 
to animal life generally, but differently developed 
by degrees as to the different classes and kinds. 

The animal mentality is not present mechanically; 
we know by experience that some classes and kinds 
in the animal world can be trained to a remarkable 
degree of gentleness and understanding, although it 
may be developed mechanically as to certain purposes. 

Thinking is the conductive medium common to the 



40 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

elementaries of the human intellect in general ; 
it transmits to the active organs, in forms, any 
impression from either; and besides its generating 
facilities, it connects with the active organs similar 
to that of the senses. 

While reason thus connects the spiritual to the 
animal life in man, it is itself a spiritual qualification; 
for a normal spiritual life cannot be obtained without 
its coherence with the faculties of soul. 

Science, which originated with the ancient civiliza- 
tion, whence the reasoning element alone was a true 
development of the human intellect, is still principally 
carried on under its auspices; from necessity as to cer- 
tain branches of science. But a dividing rock which 
we may call misunderstanding has split to a schism, 
where an intimate connection should possify a most 
healthy and favorable result. We may term this 
condition as: The apprehension of the soul against 
the demonstration of the reason ; the opinions as to 
the form is still vague, whether or not they deserve 
to be styled ''science" at all. Even where science 
includes discoveries of later periods, it asserts itself, 
fashionably or naturally, on reasonable grounds, and 
some branches of it are exclusively limited within 
the extremities — cause and consequence. Reason 
establishes physical or material laws by discovering 
the cause for their appearance, and when belief forms 
theories on the incomprehensible, both may be active 
agencies for establishing scientific truths, while the 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 41 

former only have the character of knowledge. The 
negative elementarity of reason has brought forth the 
positive — knowledge. 

When reason undertakes to solve the question 
of life, it imprisons the current of thought materially 
between the fixed extremities, cause and consequences, 
and revolt against its superior coherent, the soul. 
It cannot assume any of the faculties of soul, but 
it throws the spiritual life, if any, into obscurity 
by requesting proof. The fact that its agencies are 
solely employed as preliminary element to educate 
before the divine ideal teachings are supposed to have 
a feasible existence, does not show its independent 
character. 

Theology may diverge to the opposite direction 
by silencing the testing critic by reason. While life 
may be impossible to determine by rules or estab- 
lished formalities in its different characteristics, we 
may technically distinguish the different elementaries 
and their agencies, make it evident that any active- 
ness of life assuming a form may be used as a measure 
to find its real condition. When these forms are 
apparent, the true causes can be traced to a certain 
extent. When investigating into the slow progress 
of civilization in the past, and especially note the 
chaos of different religions holding the ground against 
a logical apprehension of the originating power and 
eternal ruler of the universe, God, we may still be 
at a loss to answer the why, but we may distinguish, 



42 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

at the several people where civilization was in prog- 
ress, their intellectual life, by the agencies in activity, 
as well as those inactive, as absent. We may also 
perceive that the very essentials which constituted 
this stronghold finally became the cause of their 
disappearance from historical existence. The inactiv- 
ity of certain or several of the natural qualifications 
of man generally, turned their leading cultural life 
into abnormities of development, or caused stagnation 
and even relapsed back into a rude natural state, while 
the fortunate only succeeded in bringing forth valu- 
able deliveries to the coming ages. In view of this, 
I still will assume that the power of love with God, 
toward man, was not the less intense than it is to-day. 
I dare not presume any probabilities as to a proper 
specific time for revelations of the divine ideas, except 
under the laws of causes and consequences; but the 
material development of the time was always barred 
by the people themselves, which fact only shows the 
consequences of their errors, while the causes may 
have been apparent trifles; the omittance of opportu- 
nities, for instance. Ages have passed since the time 
referred to, and civilization undergone a manipulated 
change of appearance, but the laws of nature still 
perform their function as were they from yesterday, 
and the elementaries of man — those trifles which beat 
silently and partly hidden from the stormy surface 
of worldly life in man as well as nature in the wild 
appearances, are essentially the same, perhaps more 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 43 

generally systematically active on account of the 
advanced attitude of times, but their rightful or erro- 
neous applications in every branch of life, not the less 
important. The causes for a catastrophe of great 
dimension, for a life of success and prosperity, or for 
a life of failure, or for entertaining false theories 
as well as promulgating systematic learning, may be 
some of those trifles — insignificant as to appearances 
and yet exponents of cultural factors. Chances bring 
sometimes enormous result of success unaccountable, 
as they were never kept on record. They are "the 
luck," the unannounced messages by the good 
angels; many people invest their lives and fortunes 
on mere chances. But they don't accredit on the 
account of duty, nor justify a plan of imprudence nor 
the consequences of errors. They have the power 
and destiny to save. 

Freedom of thought is a feature of the activeness 
of the positive power of the human intellect. The 
realization of ideas and theories may be the direct 
result of their unbound meditation. They are the 
creative agencies of spiritual life, where not the inspi- 
rations precede them preeminently as to specific 
character of properties and certain forms of divine 
teachings. To restrict them within the reasonable 
would be to transmit them to the material, and cease 
their positive character as a live issue. Life is 
immeasurable in its spiritual character, except where 
its activeness assumes certain forms which shouldn't 



44 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

be considered the ideal living; it is only guided 
by different systematic laws which are always homo- 
geneal to itself, and it is practically fed by ideas and 
theories. It is free and unceasable by any material 
power, even by death, but its activity may be limited 
or bound by material forces or obstacles. Freedom 
of thought would not mean a diversion from system 
into irregularities, at every opportunity, but their 
forcible suppression might cause a ceasing of the 
activity of spiritual life generally. Organizations 
may remain on established forms and doctrines for 
periods, but life may cease to be the momentum 
if the current of freedom in thought is shut off and 
only the formal parts allowed to remain. 

While freedom of belief exercises the faculties 
different from those of the reason, they would not, 
therefore, come in opposition to it. Truths repre- 
sented in any character of forms and elementaries will 
not come in opposition. Their apparent difference 
is the qualities of their material or spiritual representa- 
tive. They arrive at the equilibrium of logic, if nor- 
mally developed. Spiritual life, when exercising free- 
dom of thought, should develop in growth and activity 
by dealing with ideas unbounded by reasonable meas- 
ures and especially designed for the periods of time 
or age of mankind they may be destined for. The 
superiority of the soul conceives the incomprehen- 
sible and conjecture and lead toward the unseen 
by the attractiveness of desirous wants, by conceiv- 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 45 

ing the veracity of the ideal, or by the power of 
inspiration. 

Reason could not be the leading element ; it stops 
before the obstacles which cut its view to the possible 
solvable by causes and consequences. Realities 
of scientific character are not established by reason, 
but the known is determined by it if the cause for 
its appearance has been discovered. It is a spiritual 
element which cannot venture beyond the material 
or beyond the limit of the known. 



CHAPTER II 

With those people of a remote cultural standing, 
whence the pioneer work of civilization being carried 
on by the initiative of the laws of nature, by a con- 
stant appeal to the reasoning element, a substitute 
for a spiritual life was evidently brought forth and 
carried on for longer periods of time by the awaken- 
ing facilities, and is practically so yet, where the 
enlightenment of modern civilization has not pene- 
trated to. The fact that those people worship idols 
of material substance is merely an effort by reason 
to account for the existence and origination of their 
visible surrounding. It couldn't be any effort of the 
soul, which desires are coalescent with the spiritual 
truths of God ; as a matter of consequence, no such life 
could be existent without the activeness of it stirring 
the surface or assuming a form. 

Almost every known effort by those ancient people 
to form heathen religious systems were shadows 
imposed upon them by the action of the most power- 
ful elements in nature; being unable to account for 
the appearances of these wild natural elements, they 
applied their fanciful imagination and assumed a 
religious character full of contradictions and irregu- 
larities and without much influence on the morality 
of those who were devoted to it. Zoroaster's teach- 

4 6 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 47 

ing, even, which shows remarkable efforts toward a 
systematic collection of traditions and legends, and 
which at any opinion leaves the marks of much learn- 
ing, is a production of a lively imagination to con- 
struct a dual action between good and evil powers, 
without conveying any theories of a presence of good 
and evil in man. They dare not acknowledge any con- 
nection between those powers and man. Zoroaster's 
teaching deals mostly with the origination of things 
and the possibilities for their existence. The most 
contrasting appearances and powers in nature are 
supposed to action in positive and everlasting hostili- 
ties, which resolved in the appearance of the physical- 
organic life, etc. 

Those who are devoted to the investigation of far 
remote ancient culture may be able to furnish many 
more examples not yet on historical record generally, 
pointing in this direction as to the religious conditions. 
From these present, we may perceive that a spiritual 
life was not the momentum or bearer of those reli- 
gions, for the facts apparent, that no divine ideas 
of a spiritual character were present with those 
religions, to vivify a moral life, or else it would have 
come in contact with a later period of times, or con- 
tinued through change of forms only; and second, the 
essential parts of those religions cannot stand a logical 
test from the later and more advanced civilization. 
Their originations were merely the vain effort 
of reason to understand the incomprehensible, and the 



48 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

inability to do so gave them to the wind of a fantastic 
imagination, while they were in absence of enlighten- 
ment to distinguish between matter and spirit. 

Whereas the natural laws thus break the ground 
for cultivating the human intellect, even before the 
beginning of a systematic learning by spoken words 
was applied, reason, at a well-developed stadium 
of the present, cannot yet solve all of the agencies 
of nature which were active to call it forth to works 
and education. It could not establish the cause for 
a certain effectual and common appearance in human 
life; although science is right when it counts on a great 
field of works for the future, it may not in its normal 
course of exertion make any serious effort to alter the 
agencies of the different faculties from their respective 
elements. 

Modern materialism, for instance, indicated 
a reversed order of the natural system of intellect, 
by attributing to reason the potential qualities 
in spiritual life, which would throw into obscurity the 
life of soul, and ignore the ideas and theories of life 
which are solvable infinitely only. 

While this particular direction is entitled to con- 
siderable credit for its successful efforts of scientific 
character, by throwing the entire amount of interest 
toward the object of establishing within the limited 
range of the visible, the entire solvance of life, the 
result might be discoveries of natural laws, and 
solvance of questions of specific interest to natural 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENXE 49 

science, etc. But as a spiritual-intellectual life, it is 
an abnormity. Reality is not limited within the 
visible. Science approves to every revelation in 
physical nature, from discoveries brought to light 
from the mysteries unknown by the action of the 
faculties of soul. The unknown and invisible con- 
tain the grandeurs above the conspicuous known, 
because they surpass the comprehension of man. 

The fact that the rays of the sun enlighten one 
hemisphere of the Earth, couldn't throw the other 
hemisphere out of date. Positive knowledge was 
gradually accumulated by reason; a positive result 
obtained by a negative power. But the apprehended 
truths of the spiritual unseen have become realities 
by the superior power of soul to conceive their exist- 
ence and wait expectant for an ultimate revelation, 
when it is known that periods of cultural works were 
only preparatives for their possibilities with the human 
life, and ages only develop their eminence and establish 
their veracity. To demonstrate their possibility 
of action would be to materialize them and conclude 
the course of their infinite potence. They are per- 
ceived by the spiritual sense of intellect, "belief," 
and verified by their logical essentiality. 

Ideas shouldn't come in opposition to the positive 
known; their presence facilitates the active motive 
of spiritual life, and they couldn't summon reason as 
to the probability of their propriety, although their 
popularity may be considered from a practical stand- 



50 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

point of view, in spite of the uncertainty in measuring 
the infinite by the positive ; their strength, when not 
foreshadowed by tradition or suggested by some 
physical or material appearances, is dependent on the 
power of inspiration. They lead toward a future 
or toward a solvance, and in either case proposing 
to realize the points of the object which, according 
to the character, may transform into theories. Their 
genuineness may be distinguished by their relative 
condition with the truth, and reason as a collateral 
may determine their logical qualities. 

When ideas cease v to apply to the spiritual life, 
a reaction takes place, by diverging the intellect 
solely onto the positive reasonable. The apparent 
tendency of conservance of system, as the already com- 
plete affair, or a fortification of certain gained stand- 
point of doctrines, is merely a cessation of the life 
which is active by motion toward the infinite— eternal. 
Ideas, when concluded by the definite, are transposed 
to the positive known and realized as practical affairs, 
or scientific matters. The true ideas realize continu- 
ally in the practical life when the conditions permit 
them to; it is spiritual life in its practical live-awake 
exertion, when reason be coherent in the realization. 
The faculties of the soul deal with the infinite only; 
ideas are their chief means of subsistence. Belief 
in the positive is absurdity; it has become a fact 
by knowledge. Belief in the limited, calculable, is to 
spiritual life a hazard; resembling a ship, would sail 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 51 

into a sea full of shoals without a pilot; the venture 
is next to destruction, and yet how many do not risk 
the move when the success be allowed to impose 
on the spirit ! Lucky results may be obtainable 
in a practice which is incumbered on life generally, 
through the majority of individuals. The probable 
impossible to spiritual life is to believe in the posi- 
tively definite; knowledge may instead appeal to the 
opposite element, reason, which employs its faculties 
in systematic order. Ignorance as to the different 
elements and their qualification, in the intellect 
of man, is the cause. Tradition conveys a term 
which may familiarize the mentioned condition, that 
is popular on account of its commonness with life, 
in nearly all civilized languages: A ''broken heart," 
which means an interruption of the life of soul; hope 
directed on an object of the definite; the spirit fed 
on the matter, and the consequence, where not luck 
prevented it, is disease spiritually, which is serious, 
even fatal, if life should not be able to receive new 
impulses to respire the impaired faculties of the soul. 
Christ, who first revealed the idea of the immor- 
tality of the soul and the importance of its life and 
proper care, measured the value of its existence in 
individual sense, with all the treasure on the Earth. 
What an immense measurement ! True as to its 
magnificence, without doubt, and yet indefinite as to 
its vital expansion and forms of facilitating possibilities, 
when connected with the power of God. This may 



52 cause and consequence 

reveal to us the cause why periods and ages of prelimi- 
nary cultural works, more or less successful, were 
conceded to ancient times, or rather necessary — 
to possify a successful introduction of the divine 
ideas. As the natural physical laws are active to care 
for the organic life and impose an education of under- 
standing to reasoning humanity, and conclude the 
consequences of life with the marked contrasts 
of reward and punishment, are thus the faculties 
of the reason the active safeguard for the higher 
spiritual life, from systematic order, by the great 
Inventor. Christ speaks of the condition when 
illustrating with the risky way of " letting new wine 
into old leather flasks," etc. And Paul speaks of 
a "reasonable worship of God," which cannot mean 
to conclude his gospel by reason, but an appeal 
to their worldly knowledge and education and warn 
against any erroneous direction for their belief. 

In normality of intellect, with the individual, 
reason and belief will not come in direct opposition; 
when such condition is apparent, it shows a vague 
apprehension of the idea or object of belief, it is 
a diminishing activeness of spiritual life which reason 
may reduce to a minimum by its testing agencies, 
if not the leading attitude be maintained by the 
former; I have shown before, that even well estab- 
lished doctrines may transform into the reasonable 
and become positive knowledge. But when those 
two elements come in opposition as factors of civili- 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 53 

zation, they will generally go to the extremities 
in order to gain a standing of opinion, and they may 
be everything but intelligence if both rival for noto- 
riety. We need only throw a glance at the early 
history of Christianity, or the condition at some 
instances of the Middle Ages, when the bearers 
of inspired ideas or reforming theories were requested 
to furnish the proof, at the risk of their existence. 
These were more than an optimate activity out- 
wardly, of a spiritual power against the odds of the 
positive, but false conservatism ; it was ideas against 
tradition; the apprehended truth against empty for- 
malities; progress against reaction; the infinite 
against the positive. 

Reason confesses God in nature. It sees the track 
of the Creator and notes it with wonder. It defines 
natural laws on discovery of the causes for their 
appearance; it teaches the future by the past, in 
showing judgment of penalties for transgressions 
of these laws and reward for their faithful observ- 
ances. It deals with matter and mind by virtue of its 
spiritual character. But it cannot venture beyond 
the comprehensible; if it does, it is dependent on 
a superior coherent ; and it fails to concede the 
immortality of the soul, as it asks for proof when 
requested to account for the existence of such being. 
It cannot admit a spiritual connection between God 
and man, even when such connection is convincing 
by the divine acknowledgment of miracles; with the 



54 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

assistance of the natural senses of man, which perceive 
and testify to the reality of them, to the veracity 
of facts, reason will doubt and search for some 
natural causes. 

The superiority of the other spiritual power 
of intellect may be demonstrated from the above 
mentioned passage, to account for an equivalent 
to the activity in evidence of a spiritual life from 
ideas and theories away beyond the comprehensible. 
We know that many have sacrificed their life, or hap- 
piness of life, for the retention of their belief, and for 
other noble purposes and objects of life, while reason 
would put up almost every known natural law for 
protecting life and happiness at the sacrifice of belief, 
ideas and nobility of purpose. Consequently the soul 
must be the superior power in the human intellect. 

From the above mentioned facts it may be 
assumed that no religious system acknowledging the 
majesty of God could be established and maintained 
on reasonable grounds only. When scientific branches 
employ the element specially, or are practically 
devoted to the line of works by study, teaching, or 
profession, dealing with facts, and grow enthusiastic 
from the correctness and inventive ingenuity of the 
mechanical and systematic order in material nature, 
they may entertain less interest in the spiritual side 
of life, which, though partly mystified by the incom- 
prehensible and unknown, may contain still more 
wonders, and yet systematized with not the less 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 55 

minuteness and correctness as those environed by 
positive veracity, of natural science. Conjectures may 
have wide ranges, but only the truths have a logical 
right of existence in any form. Divine ideas are not 
the less perpetual than is the positive natural laws, 
and instead of the forcible way of activeness of the 
latter they appeal to the free will of man, and thus 
create an individual self-being. But what would 
be the use to make a comparison here — to elevate 
one side on the qualification of the other; they are 
neither invented for opposition one to the other, but 
each one evolves from the great "all," the cause — God. 
The paramount, as the individual or generation, is to 
live it. Science is treasures owned by the learned, 
and it is earned by hard works, and civilization proves 
its real value as the years and centuries roll by. 
When it was persecuted by superstition in the name 
of Christianity, it took a position of its own on sub- 
stantial ground, and in opposition to the lofty ideas 
of the infinite probable. Would it take revenge? 
Not as yet. It mingles in the mysterious obscurity 
of the unobserved and denies in the daylight, while 
a chilling breath from oblivion extinguishes the fire 
which heaven kindles in the human soul for the 
respiration of life. 

If avenging consequences should revert upon 
Christendom for errors committed during certain 
periods of its history from a contagious onslaught 
of superstition, it may come from scientific circles. 



56 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

It is probable from the way they are staking their 
ground. An incident occurred recently at a point 
where tendency may be the apparent feature of the 
condition. A medical faculty connected with the 
Bellevue hospital in the city of New York, after a 
consideration of several days, committed to the insane 
asylum a certain sane person on evidence of a meta- 
physic experiment which scientifically yet remained 
in such a premature state of discovery that he was 
unable to prove by demonstration its true nature 
as to the practical character of it. And on the 
affirmative of an inquiry if said person had any 
connection with God, it found another evidence for 
reaffirming their former perhaps vague opinion of 
insanity. The diagnose was confirmed by the supreme 
judge of the court of Manhattan. Now, as a decision 
of consequence, this would practically commit to 
insanity not only scores of inventors who have not 
managed to realize a practical result of their projects, 
but representative of ideas and theories of absolute 
or probable indefinite character, and perhaps including 
all worshipers of the invisible spiritual God. If out- 
rages of the kind shall be tolerated under cover 
of authority, where will society seek an equity as safe- 
guard? The person that fell into their hands at the 
occasion referred to, is the author of this book. 

I would not have said that those sons of ^Esculapius 
represent the entire profession, but the occupation 
of a conspicuous place makes them outstanding with 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 57 

the incident. And why should it be the safest way 
to play the fool if chance or circumstances should bring 
a sane person into a situation dependent on the influ- 
ence of their scientific authority? 

Disbelief makes God unpopular in the natural 
science, although his track is traced, his will sur- 
mised by well-established laws. Originality of system 
and kinds are preserved by perpetual continuance. 
It is the eternal positive in the matter and the reason- 
able to the intellect. Yet, reason occupies the known 
only, and command, the absolute definite. Advance- 
ment in culture establishes its authority; it exercises 
its agencies within the positive toward the lowest kind 
of the organic life, as well as into the combinations 
of physical laws and systems. It is the sovereign 
of the known, and it holds the realm. But it could 
not reveal what may be mystified by the next 
moment. And its will is unfree. It is the negative 
spiritual power in man, and retains its function at any 
degree of activity of the spiritual life. It is thought 
by the actions of the mechanical laws in the matter 
and acts similarly with consequence in view of the 
practicable. When erring, the consequence is merci- 
less as are those of the natural laws generally. Truth 
is to it the solvable or definite and the mysterious the 
impossible. The known is environed by its agencies, 
and it is identified with its laws. The faculties of 
the soul couldn't assume the agencies of the reason, 
and vice versa; and neither could succeed the activ- 



58 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

ity of the other. They are the positive and negative 
element of the human intellect. Their difference is 
equal to the difference of the characteristics of the 
respective fields they are designed for — the material 
and spiritual. Their cooperative exertion is a spiritual 
life of intellect and which maximum is logic. 

It may be easy to note, when reviewing the differ- 
ent tides of historical culture which, though quite 
limited as to systematic regularity and definite des- 
tination, with united or successive effort have brought 
civilization to the present stadium, that an inequality 
in the development of those elements in man were 
apparent by the different diversions of the natural 
current of thoughts to one side or the other, and this 
determined the general course of their cultural life. 
We perceive some people full-grown to manhood 
on some points while they remained children on other 
points equally important. A similar tendency, with 
less marked features, is noticeable at our time, even. 

I will refer to an ancient people of considerable 
cultural standing, the Phoenicians, which performed 
such notable and eminent tasks as spreading Oriental 
culture to Europe and Asia and whose inventions are 
marked historically with deliveries which have prac- 
tical importance in the civilization of the present. 
Their period was a beginning to an international 
culture, and a mingling of many different peoples' art 
and science, which result and influences on the subse- 
quent languages and development generally, is incal- 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 59 

culable. The Greek culture received the impulse to 
its epoch-making forward-movement directly through 
the Phoenician. What a contradiction between their 
religious and material sides of culture ! Their thrift 
and business abilities led them to the most daring 
enterprises then ever heard of. And an astonishing 
accumulation of wealth was their reward for freight- 
ing civilization from one part of the world to the 
other; may be they were unconscious as to the 
importance of the latter. Their abnormally devel- 
oped intellect — manhood to one side and childhood 
to the other — perhaps made their chances as a future 
people improbable; while they were aware of their 
superior power and abilities above the surrounding 
people of the time, they perhaps never noted the 
absurdity in their way of worshiping images of stone 
or other substances ; while they were shrewd enough 
to find their way across the ocean by means of the 
stars, and to beat their correspondents in trade out of 
their valuables. This material success became the 
cause for their ultimate removal from the scene of 
historical existence; as a corresponding morality was 
absent from the result of their development. 

Their treasures of science, art, and skill were 
inherited by other people, who combined them with 
the attribution of other facilities original from their 
own, and the result became the clearing element 
to which successful spread the Occidental barbary had 
to yield, and concede the right of way for the coming. 



60 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

An extremity to the opposite side produces facts 
with perhaps just as bad consequences, and at any rate 
impossify normality in spiritual life. Exemplification 
may be furnished plentifully at the different stages 
of the so-called new ages, and times including. Ideas 
conveying valuable means for progress, development, 
and enlightenment may be thwarted or dislodged 
from their proper junctures by silencing the voice 
of reason when it proposes its systemizing assistance. 
Superstition is the lurking substitute for the true 
belief, as a spiritual power. It is a spiritual punish- 
ment for disloyalty to the true divine laws; a giant 
which sometimes robs the weapons when Christianity 
sleeps. It assumes every appearance of the active 
belief except logic. Hence, its dangerous character. 
And tHen, the outgrowth of religious differences and 
diversions with the chaos of creeds and contradictions 
baffle every description and astonish reasonable com- 
parisons, where the distinction is considered from the 
ideas which brought them to light. As reason 
couldn't lead in spiritual affairs toward a solvance 
of the difficulties, it is at work when not its voice 
be silenced, to call out on watch, by constantly hold- 
ing forth the bad consequences from the false and 
misgiving. The emergency in failure as well as success 
is reproduced by the reasonable consequences, for the 
benefit of the particular of life in the future; the 
individual life which passed away is exemplifying for 
the present and coming individualities; and the 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 61 

generations and ages of the past stand as warning 
or, inspiring historical monuments. The positive 
reflects by consequences for the solution of the prob- 
lem of life. It is the voice which speaks "from be- 
hind," and does not indicate the vivid voice from the 
Spirit of God that leads by inspiring the soul. 

The causes thus present to protect and possify the 
ideal spiritual life and insure progress for its infinite 
destination, couldn't all be perceived and accounted 
for, at a direct contemplation ; they are suggested 
by the ages consumed for the preliminaries. It is like 
a thousand individuals for one; one hundred years 
for one year, and periods or ages for one generation. 
The cause, an apparent insignificant stir among a few 
amidst the roar of the multitude, and the conse- 
quence, an epoch — success — progress! Or a simi- 
larly insignificant omittance, transgression, disloyalty, 
and the consequence, diversion from the truth, or the 
probable, and perhaps, finally, an exit from the arena 
of times. 

A comparison between the Phoenicians and another 
tribe of the Semitic race destined for a different de- 
velopment and influence on the future from these — 
the Israelite — may show the apparent insignificant 
cause of ideas conveying the truth, bringing forth 
world-famed propagandas; destroying traditions of 
the contradictory religious chaos and revolutionizing 
the thoughts of time to a systematic spiritual culture 
of power, threatening to conquer the world. Legends 



62 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

may lack the veracity of historical facts, even where 
the existence of them is preserved by the immortality 
of their contents, and thus attain the qualification 
of history; they may lack the observances of historical 
notoriety. Facts may be conveyed in the rustic 
forms of legends from prehistoric ages and obtain 
scientific importance in modern civilization. Truths 
have the variety of forms disposable for their own 
right to be. The true ideas are not originated at the 
moment of their realization ; they realize historically 
when brought in contact with man and leave the mark 
of an active life, and this may maintain a living record 
for an indefinite future. It is the different forms 
of such life that seek a medium for preservation. The 
vivifying spiritual cause has the perpetuity of life 
itself! A verified record of these ideas is, then, their 
revival with life in continual or periodical perpetuity. 
Matter and spirit connect systematically in the intellect 
of man by the inspiration of divine ideas and laws. 
The living is the characteristic element of preservation 
of the spiritual truth. 



CHAPTER III 

There is no doubt but that a prehistoric age 
or period of primitive culture has been in existence 
with unrecorded extension, previously to a later 
diversified degeneration into the state of barbarism. 
Civilization seems to have always moved in periodical 
tides of evolution and retraction. Although those 
prehistorical periods have left but a few records 
by which to determine the general condition of order, 
except the Biblical history, which* though, comprises 
but a brief period subsequent to the origination and 
descent from Adam and Eve, it is most probable that 
a spiritual life has been astir, and perhaps the leading 
element in that cultural age. Inspirations have been 
more frequent before the human intellect was more 
generally adulterated by idolatry and vexed by vices. 
Those culture periods could not be estimated by the 
prehistoric ages of mankind which were spread all 
over the Orient before the introduction of a beginning 
to a written historical record, and which datas find 
the different people and nations, when not in barbary, 
apparently devoid of any of the ideas conveying reve- 
lations about the invisible spiritual God. 

From the beginning, the Creator would undoubt- 
edly provide for a solution of the human race in an 
enlightened sense suitable to the eminence and future 

63 



64 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

of the existence of it, by originating the general facili- 
ties for the enlightened state of spirit as well as the 
material form and system were bestowed with the favor 
of perfection. The spoken word would afford the com- 
municative as well as preservative medium for a most 
enlightened spiritual life if the interest generally were at 
a standard., Moses deals with the events of the begin- 
ning of mankind as a historian. The prophet Moses 
is destined for the future, to lead forward. The 
prophet sees the past by the future or by. the present. 
A verbal delivery was probably the source from which 
Moses founded his history of the beginning, and the 
veracity of those legends was perceived by the criti- 
cious historian. He was taught the mode of forming 
history by the learned Egyptians, whose chief literary 
occupation was to study and write history. The 
generations which he accounts for as direct descend- 
ants from Adam and Eve contain periods which 
is indicated by the given ages up to nearly a thousand 
years each. The solar year was always the unit 
of time by the early historians, not a petit year, 
as some are inclined to conclude it. We will follow 
his way later and see how he made use of his historical 
talent. 

It is evident that almost every culture-historical 
period has had its ascension, a certain age in man- 
hood more or less extensive, and a descension. This 
may indicate that the prehistoric period has com- 
prised an age of considerable length, during which 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 65 

the numerial development of the race and its spread 
took place. And it is probable that the original 
marks of nobility or enlightenment, incarnated in the 
form of complete mastership, the material man, by the 
holy God, could not be entirely erased from a most 
highly qualifying ideal originality during the lifetime 
and diversions of a few generations. It was a period 
when inspirations were the leading motives and the 
living word was profoundly in activity; when angels 
and mortal humanity mingled. 

A descension into the slope of barbarism was the 
capital punishment and a direct consequence of a 
general falling off from the recognition of the truths 
of life by the divine guidance and natural laws. An 
illustration is preserved by the condition of the moral 
standing at Sodom, which is not fiction; the vices 
described from ancient time are always true, while 
the particular form of them may be immaterial. 

History finds humanity ascending into another 
period of culture, and divided into as many nations 
or peoples as perhaps there were diverse degrees 
of development, and different idols the objects 
of worshiping. While other people remained on the 
slope of barbarism, which terrible condition has been 
preserved at places and countries until the present 
times. They were divided on different objects as to 
their destination ; for languages and traditions were 
different as were their gods and demons. Did they 
seek a future or a past? Neither. They were guided 



66 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

by the instinct of their nature at their reasonable 
understanding, or deluded by superstition, the sub- 
stitute for a spiritual life their ancestors had lost. 
And politically, when the possessors of a fertile soil, 
they were thrown between the extremes of a con- 
stant fear of an aggressive invasion by some powerful 
neighboring people, and the pleasure of indulgence 
from the means of plenty which generally varied in 
proportion to the generosity or frugality of nature's 
everlasting ability to provide. In organized nations, 
the right of citizenship lay between despotism and 
slavery, and where a cultured life fermented aggres- 
sively, it never seemsto have brought to the surface 
a reflection from the life of their ancestry except in 
one tribe at a later juncture, which turned up from 
obscurity, as do sometimes promoters of great events, 
by a trifle-like incident as a cause. The mystery of 
a future springs out from the obscurity of the past. 
The obscurity here is the period dividing the prehis- 
toric age of culture from the age beginning with that 
of the written history. It is the dark spasm in the 
race of mankind which the light of civilization seems 
to be unable to penetrate through ; only a few trusted 
messengers, like spies stealing a passage through a 
territory held by the enemy, and the message is not 
trusted to any form of technical conveyance which 
might have transformed into oblivion during the exten- 
sive voyage; it mingled with the life of the messengers 
in their memory and souls, and went as a sacred inheri- 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 67 

tance from one generation to another until the proper 
moment had arrived for a realization in form — a his- 
torical assertion. These messages went from one 
generation to the other with profound sincerity. The 
father called his most trustworthy sons about him 
when they had reached a certain maturity of age, and 
made them swear a sacred vow not to omit to forward 
in a similar manner the true form and contents 
to their next descendant, the sacred tradition thus 
inherited. In this manner have the legend which 
furnished the sources to Moses the first learned histo- 
rian who believed in God, as material for a brief 
history of the beginning of mankind. Why could 
not ancient history cross that awful chasm of the 
time? May be for the same reason which cut the 
retreat back to Egypt for the Israelites. They might 
have went straightway back but for the obstacle — 
the Red Sea. A backward movement of civilization 
against the laws of motion, and it might all have 
ended in the slope of barbarism ; that which history 
couldn't cross except under disguise as the spy. 
We have examples of it in personified realities, fol- 
lowing civilization as a warning statistic on its race 
through time — the wild state of man. 

God has connected with the alternative issuing from 
the exercise of the human will in the light of his laws, 
a reflecting consequence in the sensitive conscience in 
man. This, when not blunted or dead, constantly 
seeks a normal of equilibrium with life from the laws 



68 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

of equity. When individually it becomes embarrassed 
with the conviction of trespasses of those laws, it gives 
way to the constant pressure of anguish and revolt 
against the ways of life or circumstances that caused 
it. This condition may be represented by an individual 
toward his surroundings in the person of Abraham 
the patriarch. He was the conscience of his tribe. 

The adoption and realization of new ideas and 
theories require about all of the intellectual and 
material powers of those who undertake to represent 
them. The soul, reason, and mental energy are 
invested on the object, and concentrated in two main 
directions, the offensive and defensive. A forward 
movement with front to all sides. It may be a revolt 
against tradition and time at the introduction of the 
succeeding which is ready to take the place of what 
may have fallen to pieces by the move. It is to raise 
the storm and sail it ; assume the activity of hostility 
to obtain a condition where the most peaceful agencies 
of life might be brought to reality. To loosen the 
hold on the positive for a connection with the infinite. 

To thus represent ideas that have not gained 
a position of popularity, requires the intellect at the 
normal center of gravity, less they are a surface stir 
of sentiment only, without the properties of the 
future. It is logic conflicting contradiction. Logic 
is to ideas and theories what symmetry is to technic ; 
and harmony to music. It connects the past with the 
future; the reasonable with the infinite; belief with 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 69 

facts; and the divine with the humanly. It estab- 
lishes principles and leads by truths toward the 
eternal spiritual. 

You may attribute to the introduction of ideas 
generally any or all of the revolutionary agencies 
consequently in activity with such occasions when 
it is necessary to obtain a popularity for the estab- 
lishment of them ; the inspiration which caused 
Abraham to cut loose from his connections with his 
tribe and throw to the wind the false customs and 
idols of the time marks the starting point to one of the 
most epoch-making revolutions ever on record in all 
history combined. It marks the beginning to an ideal 
spiritual life, which introduction must suffer the oppo- 
sition and miseries of a revolution, while the forcible 
character generally understood with the term is sub- 
stituted by the tranquil move from heart to heart, 
with appeal to the will of man, and which momentum 
is the power of the truth. When, in absence of the 
circumstances to enforce or establish popularity, it waits 
and enters into the systematic development under the 
laws of growth, similar to those of the organic life, 
what a space of time it consumes! And yet always 
activity, destination. The magnitude ot divine ideas 
is not imagined at the introduction of them. A his- 
torical existence of such couldn't even measure them; 
they own in the eternity, and their most powerful 
exponents are probably mystified in the future. Their 
development is periodical and unlimited as to magni- 



70 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

tude. They can comprise all and take the initiative 
with everything else in time, and yet contract within 
the limit of a few generations, where they run mys- 
teriously and hidden as an underground leader, des- 
tined for a future with probabilities for progress. 

When history keeps the record of epoch-making 
movements among mankind, we find some remarkable 
junctures of events which tower up above the general 
surface of time, like the mountains which rise above 
the plateau. Those junctures may, in social and 
political movements, indicate the culminating point 
represented in events or personifications, or both 
in connection, as a question of the time. We may 
here point out two historical junctures pertaining the 
subject of this writing, which tower above the sur- 
roundings as representative of a spiritual life in oppo- 
sition to the times. They were Abraham and Christ. 
One, receiving by inspiration the mysterious idea 
of the coming spiritual power with mankind, and 
prophesied its formal parts by every turn of his life, 
and the other revealing its full life-size by represent- 
ing it with his entire personality and being. What 
a space of times between these two junctures and 
representatives who apparently might have connected 
by the link of one generation. Yet the two thousand 
years was the necessary measure of times consumed 
in preliminary works to possify its general introduc- 
tion. Should we measure the degree of remoteness of 
culture at that time and the awkward and tardy dispo- 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 7 1 

sition of mankind to learn and conceive by those two 
thousand years, or may we calculate the value and 
importance of the ideal in question, so high and 
magnificent, and its future so bright and epoch- 
making, that as a comparative affair of preliminaries, 
the two thousand years' work were only the overture? 
Popularity is supposed to be the important auxili- 
ary to the growth of ideas and learnings which future 
aims at the multitude, while opposition frustrates the 
progress of them, but intensifies the elementaries 
of their essence. One insignificant tribe among the 
multitude of the Oriental population was trusted the 
immense risky task to forward a statement of the 
introduction of this idea, and it was performed with 
the correctness of the talented historian, who do not 
shape the person by the circumstances, but allow him 
to cope with the advents of life in their real appear- 
ance and terminate the events. None of the bragging, 
exaggerating Oriental mode of illustrating is noticed 
in the description including the life of Abraham. 
It was a life lived for the future of the ideal spiritual 
life he believed in. He clung to the infinite which 
ideas own in the future; it was the vivification of the 
lost Paradise to reality, a connection between God 
and man. He believed and obeyed the dictive will 
of inspiration, which made him unpopular and impos- 
sible for promulgating a theory which he otherwise 
was not a master for. In fact, the idea was not then 
matured for general conception, owing to the con- 



72 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

ditions of the times. It was a safekeeping for 
a future. The apprehensive ability generally, for its 
introduction, was matured with the world two thou- 
sand years later. The reasonable was probably his 
stronghold at important connections with the outside 
world, which is indicated by the incident when they 
took away from him his female companion ; his 
scheme was well calculated on his knowledge of the 
despotic power of the king of Egypt, as was his sceptic 
attitude as to the safety of himself and companion, 
illustrating the moral condition of the time. His 
belief was not a definitely measured rule of material 
life. He was ready to sacrifice to the accidental 
condition or circumstances what was only an affair 
of diverse material importance, but his belief was the 
strength of his ideal spiritual life. The magnitude 
of the inspired idea was estimated to him to an extent 
of elevating it away above the calculable. The 
pressing feature was lonesomeness in belief; he 
wouldn't worship the idols of his surroundings, and 
consequently they hated him. Then came the vision 
about descendants in belief, indicated by comparison 
of the countless multitudes in substantial nature; 
the material incomprehensible only could indicate 
the indefinite spiritual. What unreasonable affair! 
He couldn't commutate his ideal to his surrounding, 
and yet the logic of its promised future by his appre- 
hension of God. The subsequent generations for 
a brief period of time only, were the heirs to the 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 73 

spiritual life introduced to Abraham; later on it 
transformed into traditions, with the other prehis- 
toric delivery, which was forwarded through Abra- 
ham and his natural descendants, until it was revived 
by the appearance of Moses. The selection of the 
Israelites as a holy people is directly connected with 
the introduction and safe-keeping of the inspired 
words: "He spoke to Abraham and his seed for- 
ever," which suggests an unlimited future beyond the 
period of great events marking the rejection of the 
Hebrews as a holy people. Their marked nationality 
also derived from their selection, but it was a material 
affair; a safeguard against the commingling with the 
wickedness of times. It may be difficult from our 
standpoint of civilization to perceive and acknowledge 
the latter circumstance, lest we contemplate the 
importance and destination of the spiritual treasure 
they were trusted to forward. It contained the most 
revolutionary elementary power ever known on Earth ; 
immensity reduced in an apparent insignificant cause; 
immortality to mortals; a connection effected between 
the intellectual man and the spiritual God. It was 
of world-wide importance. When the Hebrews, later 
on, as an organized nation, became materialized 
in their positive contemplation of a political mission, 
it did not benefit them more than the outside world 
generally, which was ignorant of the fact. 

The Israelites had a calling as a nation, which 
their development and history furnish plenty of evi- 



74 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

dence for, although not the representative of any high 
cultural production, as their intrudence into national 
existence might have suggested from a surface-view. 
Their period of national growth is coincident with the 
most stirring political events of the age. It was the 
strong rivalry for Oriental hegemony, performed under 
the most shocking ways of exercising the power of the 
powerful, without trace of any moral object to pro- 
mote anything of a nobler character. As a matter 
of record those ancient oriental shiftings of power 
which involved those stirring affairs did not leave 
in their tracks any visible result of good. They 
terminated in destruction. 



CHAPTER IV 

Truths come not in opposition, even when differ- 
ently represented by the active agencies from spirit 
and matter. When civilization diverged at the sacri- 
fice of the existence of entire nations, or degenerated 
into vices for virtues, it was caused by the inactive- 
ness of a general vital faculty in man, resulting in 
an erroneous exercise of the leading faculties in 
activity. The great and imposing sometimes issue 
from what was too little or common to draw attention. 
A great volume of light issues from a distant spar- 
kling object, indefinite consequences form a definite 
occurrence. Abraham issues from obscurity, and his 
loyalty to the divine will laid the corner-stone 
to a great religious system, and destined the future 
of a nation. He carried on his mind for many years, 
through troubles and adversities, an ideal which later 
on proposes to carry on the spiritual life of all 
humanity. He could not calculate its future, but 
he conceived the power of God ranking above possi- 
bilities. The apprehensive soul perceives the 
Almighty in material nature as the means of subsist- 
ence for a spiritual life. But the power of God in the 
matter is defined in a multitude of diverse systems 
and governing natural laws, which become positive 
as to action, and definite, on the discovery of their 

75 



7^ CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

causes. Yet eternally established, their future may 
be figured out with more or less accurateness, in con- 
nection with almost any problem of physical and 
material nature. The positive encourages to effort 
on account of its regularity. Belief needn't become 
active in affairs involving the positive agencies exclu- 
sively, but for a successful conjuncture of circum- 
stances with the objective point of the affairs, belief 
couldn't terminate a material affair in opposition 
to the laws resolving its appearance, lest God interfere 
and substitute one or other lacking facility, or altering 
the effects invariably connected with those laws. In 
such cases the divine spiritual supplements the material 
and marks the presence of God. The master may dis- 
engage or cease any of the agencies of his invention 
temporarily, which is only glimpses of the character 
and power of the infinitive Almighty. Ideas may bring 
forth theories and systems, but not exhaustively. 
Theories and creeds stake out, with the aid of the 
negative element reason from their conceived range 
of view, the spaces more or less narrow, to comprise 
the individual life or organizations of the congregation 
and state. It is life assuming form by activity, but 
the flexible character is not complied with on account 
of the technical frame. Divine ideas have no details, 
neither have the perpetual physical-material laws. 
Their appearances and conceptions are links connect- 
ing with the indefinite future and their unknown past. 
Conflicts between the different elements of the human 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 77 

intellect may indicate activeness of life and a struggle 
for an equilibrium; and should not suggest any oppos- 
ing conflict between ' the material and spiritual 
powers in an objective sense. Their subjective 
cooperation may be logic. Their principal-connec- 
tive may, in many cases, be mystified. 

The speculative belief is knowledge pending 
on logical principles. 

Christ has not illustrated the power of belief 
by "removing mountains" to indicate its distinctive 
subjective properties in practical life, neither to mani- 
fest a consequent opposition to the laws of gravity; 
he illustrated the magnificence of the ideal, revealing 
by Him by his teaching and being, and exemplifying 
by the improbable positive, as a comparative, the 
infinite power of God. The times were materialized, 
and the cultural corrective, the positive known. 
To draw the comparison between the principles of his 
teaching and the material for the purpose of an 
objective connection of these applicable to life, would 
have been to define their course and progressive 
qualities and limit their evolving power to the reason- 
able; while his exemplifying mode of teaching is to 
distinguish between the spiritual and the material. 
The reasonable is limited to the known, and draws a 
line between the probable and the impossible; reason 
is negative to the action of every physical and organic 
material law. The spiritual conceives the master above 
his works; the possible above the improbable; a future 



7§ CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

beyond the present. The material man connected with 
the material surroundings of life is subject to their 
facilitating appearances, from the laws of causes and 
consequences; the spiritual man independent of the 
material surroundings is connected with the ideal 
of his belief — with God. The positive impossible 
becomes the logical probable, as the intellect has 
a will to alter the subjective points of belief indefi- 
nitely, and logic is the general corrective. The 
intellect at a high degree of spiritual life has the 
tendency, when reason is kept evasive, to cover the 
space between knowledge and belief by a direct con- 
nection. And the result, on the contrary, as formerly 
mentioned, when without the connective medium, the 
negative element, reason, may be disturbance of the 
spiritual life and a schism with opposite extremities 
between the material and spiritual. This shows that 
reason is a necessary element for obtaining a logical 
standpoint. 

Spiritual life is a positive power in man, and the 
definite material appearances act positively on account 
of their systematical integrity. Hence their connec- 
tion with the ideal spiritual in reality is merely collat- 
eral, not amalgamating, except in a mysterious inde- 
finite with God. 

Where was the logical corrective w r ith Abraham 
in absence of theories and systematic comparison? 
The opposite condition with his surroundings was 
a material one. He perceived the veracity of the 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 79 

inspiration by enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. 
A logical result being obtained when he obeyed, and 
a will moved him forward against the improbable. 
The world knew afterward that his believing was 
a success: it styles him yet a wise man, when the 
once unpopular idea commenced to realize, and unroll 
its mighty wings to a flight about the world. A fra- 
gile idea develops into a power by holding its own 
against the improbable through a continued life of 
belief. Individuals and generations disappear in the 
race toward the infinite, and yet each one the integral 
part and most intimate attribute by itself. Unreason- 
able affairs except as a matter of record. The sheep 
transforms into a lion. Truths always find their logical 
equivalent in the individuals where they may be active, 
while theories must wait for the facilitating conjunc- 
ture of popularity. 

Moses found the Israelites congregated around the 
traditions inherited from their forefathers, the Patri- 
archs, and under a life sentence to hard labor under 
the government of Egypt. The sacred vow exchanged 
between God and Abraham, which being confined 
to his subsequent successors as head and leader of the 
tribe, kept them together. We are already made 
familiar with the formalities of the delivery of these 
traditions from father to his sons; from one genera- 
tion to the other. Their exclusion from the Egyptian 
nationality, and unfree conditions generally, was not 
caused by any imperative desire by the ruling despot 



80 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

at Egypt. Their voluntary adherence to their 
inherited tradition and the knowledge and confession 
of being "the prophets' children" and a strict 
recognition of certain external marks separated them 
from the nation and put them in a queer light of 
unpopularity. Self-respect added to fear for breaking 
away from their pledge kept them from social min- 
gling with the Egyptians, which might have been the 
natural order of their affairs. They were specimens 
of physical stature and development. Their numeral 
growth, besides the circumstances alluded to, made 
them appear suspicious as a power in the nation. 
And a change of dynasty, which new head had made 
it a point of policy to strengthen his position with his 
new conquest, put them on the alternative — 
to abandon their tradition and adopt the religion and 
other modes of times with the Egyptians, or be 
doomed to hard labor among the governmental slaves 
on public works. The new invaders, the Arabian 
"Hyksos," were a semi-barbarian people, without 
other culture and national importance than warfare, 
and vandals as to destructive ferocity, as nearly all 
of the ancient Egyptian-cultural treasure suffered, 
destruction under their violent hands. 

It may be a matter of conjecture whether or not 
a spiritual life from the superfluous divine revelations 
with their forefathers was the active factor to preserve 
the isolated peculiarity of the Israelites during 
a period of adventures and trials up to the appearance 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 81 

of Moses. Their traditions are materially the most 
certain connective medium at the time. The servile 
attitude and regular occupation at hard labor pre- 
served their morality from the vices and habits 
common to the life with the intruders. Traditions 
without a conception of the vital element connected 
with them, are merely formalities, and yet when point- 
ing toward a future, it leaves the " trail" at the hands 
of the possessors, when they become conscious of it as 
a matter of their own. When Moses received his 
divine calling, God introduced himself to him as the 
God of Abraham, etc., which suggests that He had 
grown foreign to the people generally. The spiritual 
inheritance was not a power with them, and even 
their belief in their selection as a future people must 
have grown vague on account of the bad situation 
of servitude, which would have proved fatal to their 
inherited preference, as a consequence, in the length 
of time. But they believed in the belief of their 
forefathers. Traditions are conservative as they 
petrify in positive knowledge, while the ideas are too 
vivid to be kept at a standstill without the attribute 
of the soul, whence the life is dependent to attentions 
or neglectances, and its fragile being easily embar- 
rassed by unhealthful circumstances. The substance 
is preserved by its formal nature, while life is a 
question of the moment and an ideal of the future. 

A depressed situation, when carrying beyond the 
endurable, makes the soul exert its entire power for 



82 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

a bound toward redemption from it, which may some- 
times mean into the unknown probable; the human 
soul commands this authority over the material as to 
break away from the loathsome at any hazard. 

In Sparta, year 464 B. C. , subsequent to an earth- 
quake which laid that city nearly in ruins, revolted 
the slaves in a number of ten thousand, and defeated 
a Spartan army which was sent to suppress the 
rebellion. 

In the year 73 B. C, revolted the slaves in Italy 
in a number of one hundred thousand, on account 
of being forcibly compelled to fight as gladiators and 
kill each other for the pleasure of Roman spectators. 
Under their leader, Spartacus, they made themselves 
the masters of a great portion of the country, and 
defeated several Roman armies, and compelled the 
captured Romans to kill each other as gladiators, and 
otherwise inflicted a cruel revenge. An army of eight 
legions under Marcus Licinius Crassus finally checked 
their power. 

The numeral strength with the Israelites was too 
inadequate for making an attempt to rebel against the 
multitude. They chose the practically sensible, to 
remain passive and endure beyond the endurable. 
The practical reasonable would have been to become 
naturalized Egyptians, and shared their chances 
at the best possibilities. Egypt was at that time 
considered the Oriental Eden, and hence an object 
for conquest to many of the daring adventurers who, 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 83 

by means of war, sought a more fertile soil than that 
of the home country. But that would have been 
at the sacrifice of their traditions and to relinquish 
on the inherited promise of a future land of their own. 
It is not my object here to dispute what is generally 
known, that God possesses the power to lead the 
different currents of cultural life as well as civilization 
at large to a final result with his eternal foresight, etc. 
The Israelites had the promise of a spiritual selection, 
and had at this juncture of their race become uncon- 
scious of the real nature of their destination. They 
had grown materialized in their traditions, and other- 
wise being in an utterly miserable state of life, while 
they thought of a future nationality in a land of their 
own by virtue of the divine promise to their fore- 
fathers. An active spiritual life with them might 
have given them influence even as foreigners, while 
in absence of such, they were at the mercy of an 
imperative despotism. They were made to learn over 
again from the state of servitude, from whence they 
recollected their birthright, and perhaps the kindness 
of the voices that had spoken to Abraham. 

There is no doubt but that the influence from the 
Egyptian culture was a benefit to their future; it con- 
nected with them more chances for favorable develop- 
ment in material sense. They were at the arrival 
in Egypt a nomad people exclusively, while the 
Egyptians, though without an organizing element, 
were cunning in divers artful and scientific branches. 



84 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

But in contemplation of the manner Moses begins 
with them, their intellectual state of culture must have 
been in a low state of development. It is evident 
that only the most favored classes in Egypt were 
admitted to a theoretical education, and the Israelites, 
with the exception of a few, were, from circumstances 
known, debarred from the direct benefit of such educa- 
tion. And yet the bearers of an important future! 

They were in a spiritual sense a body-guard in slave 
garb, put on watch for the birthright of humanity. 

Moses was connected with his people with the 
characteristic ties of its better qualities, to a degree 
of representation. He was a leader by birth. As an 
adoptive child to the royal house, he was admitted 
to every means of an education of the times, and 
it is evident that his years of youth and early part 
of manhood were occupied to fit him for the higher 
position of life as a man of the world. His organizing 
abilities were not a result of learning from the wisdom 
of Egypt, as the social condition with that people 
bordered a chaos, which shows that he was naturally, 
or gifted, a talented man. At a more developed age 
with his gifted originality and tendencies of sympathy 
toward his tribe, too strong to be concealed, he 
became, naturally, the source of suspicion to his Egyp- 
tian surroundings. To precede the consequences of 
his attitude, he departed from his connection with 
the royal house, and became a political fugitive in a 
foreign country, awaiting future development. 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 85 

That he had any plan ripe as to the rescue of his 
people from the oppression of the despotic ruler, 
in substance with the later events which terminated 
in the departure of the Israelite, is rather doubtful, 
from the evidence that he declined at first the divine 
appointment to the leadership, in a way showing his 
feeling toward the problem, as well as his stock 
in the good-will and sympathy of the Egyptian ruler. 
Egypt was at the time not entirely conquered by the 
invaders actually in power, and this left two dynasties 
simultaneously in existence. It is probable that 
Moses's plan was to await a final collision between 
the two powers, which would result in expelling the 
intruders, or their entire conquest of the country. 
And in either probability he might succeed through 
his influence to solve the depressive situation of his 
people. However this may be in detail, it is safe 
to assume that his calling to the important office was 
not inconsistent with the speculative problem of life 
of his own. The chief difference may be that Moses 
planned on the possibilities of material circumstances; 
the probable was the conjectured essence of his 
scheme practicable with the realities. The revelation 
of the divine plan brought him to face almost every 
obstacle that he would have shunned and avoided. 
He was not then a master to conceive the realization 
of a divine idea until the inspiration had developed 
with him a spiritual life. His belief was born first, 
and later that of the people. When brought in con- 



86 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

nection with the events appearing in the form 
of adversities it developed that his belief was not that 
of the people's; which was brought to submittance 
under the authority of their leader by the influence 
of a number of series of supernatural wonders. The 
Israelites were moved by the same power as moved 
the Egyptians, and with a similar result. These facts 
confirm my former suggestion that a spiritual life was 
not yet evident with the people generally. The 
gentle voice speaking to Moses had to be transformed 
into forcible revolting appearances in physical and 
organic nature in order to impose on their material 
comprehension, with the effect of obedience in one 
direction and submittance in the other. 

Situations of extreme need, sometimes effect 
a resulting outcome with supreme power of the 
unseen, even when the belief is supposed to be only 
of a material tenacity and without any further marked 
activeness of a spiritual life. The Israelites sought 
the God of their patriarchs, and the Egyptians their 
traditional object of worship, and both sides produced 
their wonders to a certain extent. But it was not the 
idols of the heathen that caused the wonders, it was 
the anxiety in their souls that felt the absence of a pro- 
tecting power; their distress was brought up beyond 
the endurable, and they found an outlet — by the 
power of God, who cannot be calculated by the intel- 
lect of man. The Biblical history tells of a battle 
between the Hebrews and the Moabites, during 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 8; 

which, at a certain critical point of ferocity, the king 
of Moab sacrificed his firstborn son, and a great 
wrath overcame the Hebrew army, which resulted 
in a total defeat against an enemy of a fractional 
number to that of their own. How could the idol 
''Moloch ' cause the wrath, lest the idols of the 
Egyptians and their priests could cause the wonders 
against Moses. The latter did not seem to have 
become embarrassed by the wonders produced 
through the Egyptians; he believed in the incom- 
prehensible with God. His apparent outwitted 
power did not become stunned, or ceased, his belief 
was in the infinite, with the ideal of God. The repro- 
duction of the wonders by the Egyptians finally 
became his winning points, for the Egyptian priests 
at the last admitted to Pharaoh that they were all 
caused by the power of Jehovah! 

It was during this brief period of severity and 
exercise of supernatural wonders by a constant con- 
nection with God, that formed the giant Moses, 
which later developed the organizer, the general, and 
the lawmaker. A constant exertion of his remark- 
able power of intellect, matched with the awe for 
his great mission and sanctified by his belief, composed 
a personal integrity bordering the superhuman. He, 
besides a few others next him in authority, were the 
only ones who knew at that juncture the real charac- 
ter of the destiny of the Israelites as a people, 
while the popular opinion was, the inheritance 



88 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

of a country and a future political nationality, other- 
wise the question paramount to the people, was 
to come loose from the oppressive yoke of the 
Egyptian king. The person undertaking a respon- 
sibility as did Moses, may yield to the weight of it and 
succumb before its immensity, or perform marvelous 
actions of bravery and endurance, besides unfurling 
the spiritual facilities and nobility of soul to the 
utmost capacity. He believed for the people and felt 
the heavy weight of its anxieties and adversities, and 
while he, most of the time or largely, failed to inspire 
the life of his own into the people, it incarnated 
in himself to an abnormity, which fact he was 
altogether unconscious of. 

The general opinion of Moses, especially during 
a later period of civilization, when a more clear con- 
templation as to the rights of mankind gained in 
popularity, has been that the severity of the 
Mosaic laws, most of which are out of date, is the 
true facsimile of the personality of the lawmaker; but 
if we make an effort to intercept the Israelites 
at different instances of their journey, we may find 
that imperative causes without the person of Moses 
produced most of these laws as a consequence. 
When the Israelites, at a later juncture of their 
history, became the Hebrew nation with a political 
policy and future, they harvested in a rich manipu- 
lation of folds the benefit from the existence of the 
laws of Moses. But they omitted and misunderstood 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 89 

their ethic character and importance for a spiritual 
life they were destined to environ, and they suffered 
for their worldly self-conceit the penalty of being 
detected from their divine selection. 

From a concrete point of view, we might contem- 
plate that Providence would charge in an individual, 
responsibilities only in proportion to its capabilities, 
which contemplation would make Moses a much 
lesser personality than was the fact with him. If the 
original plan and destination for the journey of the 
Israelites and their invasion into Canaan had been 
willfully adhered to by the people, a different course 
of their advent would have been the consequence, 
but their behavior, so far as is brought to knowledge 
through the Biblical history, involved into the adver- 
sities which brought the ability of the leader to a most 
strenuous test. The God-fear which was perhaps 
the most marked feature with Moses put the value 
of his personal self-being beyond recognition. God 
called the Israelites "His own people," and a direct 
understanding, as to the present generation, of what 
Moses conceived in an ideal importance would, with 
the sincerity of him, increase the feeling of responsi- 
bilities. At times it appeared as if certain destruction 
was only a matter of a near future. And yet he was 
the prophet, whose belief was the means of safety 
when the people were in danger, or diverged from 
the way Jehovah had drawn out as their only leading 
star. 



90 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

The period of his exile, which perhaps comprises 
the turning-point of his life and decided his future, 
is, with the exception of a few moments of Biblical 
history, so far veiled in mystery. The Bible may 
furnish true historical data when it describes great 
events or conspicuous personalities connected with 
the termination of the events. But its periodical 
way of dealing with history lessens its historical 
character. At places it contracts spaces between 
its description of important events, containing scores 
of years or generations, with the bridge of a few 
passages, while at other places the historical trend 
may be lost entirely. Whereas it is not destined 
to assume the office of history, we may lack other 
historical sources for supplement. It is caused by 
the fractional composition of the Bible from a number 
of manuscripts by different authors. These were 
kept in archives as sacred treasures for hundreds 
of years, and by accidents and wear of time or vandal- 
ism the greatest portion of them were lost before the 
collection into the Bible was effected. The fashion- 
able historians of ancient times, at different periods 
running their historical trends parallel with the event 
of Biblical nature, omitted to pay much attention 
to these, on account of their unpopularity. At the 
time of Moses, however, history was yet on a remote 
standpoint of development, and dealt chiefly with the 
rulers and conspicuous warfares. 

The moment of his conception of the divine inspi- 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 91 

ration as to the safety and emigration of the 
Israelites, and his start for the scene of operation, 
could not have been of immediate succession. 
He hesitated and halted before the views of impossi- 
bilities. His dominating reasonable intellect had 
to give way to the ideal belief which surmounts 
obstacles and perceives the power of God abundant 
and equal to the emergencies of unlimited nature 
by virtue of his words. A fermentation which 
shapes the personality of the material character suit- 
able to the spiritual expansive and immeasurable 
qualities of the inspired ideas, must have been the 
aggressive stir with Moses at the time. He hesitated, 
doubted, declined the divine calling at the first. 
He feared the voice of Jehovah that demanded 
obedience, recognition, submittance in a most expres- 
sive manner, and he doubted his influence with his 
people, and loathed Pharaoh. His traditional religion 
was not yet vivified by his belief, to a life of his own. 
His Egyptian learning, a probable policy of his own 
as to the relief of his people, and his divine calling, 
were at the first opposing questions, perhaps contra- 
dictory and traversing his intellect for an equilibrium; 
reason versus belief. A most stormy spiritual con- 
dition, and perhaps brewing for many years in such 
a marked character and strong vitality as that 
of Moses. But they connected in him to a most 
original figure among men. His sincerity of belief 
is unquestionable; he lived the spiritual life for the 



92 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

entire people he led, and his power of will, which was 
not a law, was marvelous when brought to test 
against adversities and against the insubordination 
and reactionary tendency of the people. Even 
Aaron, his right hand, yielded to the vile desire 
of the people. His will-power had an equivalent 
facility in his' kindness and tender disposition of spirit 
toward the people generally. A natural and sys- 
tematic development of the faculties composing such 
a giant of a personality may have occupied many 
years of the later period of his exile; and with the 
contemplation of the fact that the Spirit of God 
taught him and formed the diverse qualifications 
to a logical integrity, he was at full-grown spiritual 
manhood at his first appearance in the capacity of the 
leader; 



CHAPTER V 

The divine plan designed for Moses was headed 
with two principal points — to impose fear on the 
Egyptians for a permission to emigrate, and to gain 
authority with the Israelites. Ideas sometimes win 
with their apparent improbable properties, when 
revealed to people with wide-awake interests. They 
gain popularity by proposing to solve mysteriously 
the problems of practical importance, and inspire 
with their flighty course above the comprehensible 
and reasonable. And those of divine character con- 
vey to the soul truths of far remote realization, at the 
same time as they are at the point of discovery the 
real questions of the time. They may even be homo- 
genial with all times on account of their perpetuity 
of vitality. Like a system of planets revolving 
about a fixed center in the universe, may these ideas 
be distinguished by their logical comparison with the 
invariable known. What an enlightenment in the 
soul of Moses, who perceived his ideal realize with 
the ages to come, while his works apparently are 
limited to the framing of narrow and forcible rules 
and regulations! When he held up the announce- 
ment to his people that the time had arrived for their 
relief from their oppressors and for the realization 
of the divine promise to Abraham, it didn't meet 

93 



94 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

with their applause. "The flock didn't know the 
shepherd by his voice," for the consequent lack 
of logical sense because of absence of a spiritual life. 
How could they, without learning and during four 
hundred years of a life mixed up with a demoralizing 
element of people, apprehend an ideal which takes 
the ages assigned for its evolution and realization 
to apprehend, with the assistance of science and 
learning, for its determination, although they had the 
perseverance of soul built up by virtue of their religious 
traditions, and a force of energy to cling to it by. 
It would perhaps not benefit our times, but for the 
historical part of it, if I could illustrate those peo- 
ple in their real appearance, but we may find out 
what they lacked when the rays of light were put dia- 
metrically to their sights without being enlightened 
by it ; the history of their journey shows what they 
lacked, by the way they were taught. The Israelites 
were imposed on by the same means as were the 
Egyptians — their mentality of fear. They feared 
the power of Jehovah and admitted the authority 
of Moses, while, as the wonders were in favor of their 
case, they established safety and furnished proof for 
the genuineness of the cause. It was the reward 
conceded them, during the course of a few months, 
for generations of shame and disgrace; a restoring 
to the rights of man by the power of Jehovah, and 
the condition of their belief was satisfying by Moses 
holding the center of gravity. He was their savior 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 95 

also, foreshadowing Christ. The divinity with Moses 
was not entirely subjective. God interfered with the 
matter by the presence of Moses, but without his 
person ; although he was inspired by the Spirit 
of God, and his words and life were alike of virtues. 

The condition of the Israelites was caused by an im- 
perative instrument from the king; but Moses fought 
against the heathen demons in the Egyptians, while his 
people were passive. The house of Pharaoh couldn't 
atone for the crimes committed against the Israelites. 
The eternal equity found against the immensity 
of crime an equal immensity of punishment. The 
Egyptians had witnessed the suffering and maltreat- 
ment of the former and kept passive. The time for 
an adjustment had tarried — perhaps nobody thought 
of it. It came with the presence of Jehovah. 

Inspired ideas being the leading momentum in the 
human intellect, realize, through the nobler faculties 
of man, the spiritual as well as the material, even 
when pertaining a distinctive object. The indi- 
vidual, though, will not, therefore, become the 
passive medium for their realization, as may be the 
apparent suggestion, but some of the natural faculties 
assume an absolute negative position. Inspiration 
rather becomes the property of the individual, and 
may receive individual marks from the different facul- 
ties in activeness with the subject. 

The divine information as to Moses's departure is 
on the second instance of developments marked with 



96 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

Moses's stratagem to deceive their opponents with the 
pretension of a brief journey of worship, which shows 
that the Egyptian policy was to prevent their emigra- 
tion at all hazards. The calamities which shocked 
the entire nation to the utmost could not change the 
policy to a permission of leave. It was trait against 
falsity, and the Israelites were no longer the loyal 
subjects of Egypt, but a revolting power with a policy 
of their own, and Moses was familiar with the politics 
of Pharaoh. Jehovah had proclaimed their libera- 
tion from Egyptian supremacy. Matters of a similar 
nature pertaining to the affair with the collecting 
of Egyptian jewelry. The leader Moses perceived 
the imperative necessity for means of subsistence 
to all those people when departed from the land of 
plenty; his scheme as to the purpose of their journey 
wouldn't allow them to carry with them great quantities 
of provision, and the exigency demanded swiftness 
of movement. The valuables in question were easily 
exchangeable for food wherever it might be important 
to travel, under peaceable conditions. Providence 
as to them had plenty means for a living; but fore- 
thought on reasonable grounds was also a character- 
istic with Moses, who prepared and arranged everything 
as if the condition of war was existing, which was 
really the fact, except for the impracticability to com- 
mence open hostilities, from the start, against 
an inadequate number to that of their own. Wars 
have, even up to the present, their singular ways 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 97 

of executing justice which is characteristic to the 
essence of them. When General Grant on a certain 
occasion was confronted with an appeal to stop 
pillage, he answered, with the alternative as a conse- 
quence: "How could they expect him to let his 
armed men suffer from lack of food in the midst 
of plenty?" Strategy and generalship were natural 
gifts with Moses, and they had chances to appear 
at every opportunity; perhaps not from necessity, 
as his constant connection with God solved the 
impossible, with a supernatural power at every critical 
instance. It would be improper to style it a divine 
affair with every action of a person under divine 
guidance. Inspirations remove none of the natural 
faculties with man in order to become active. 
Natural circumstances may be integrities by system 
and laws, and of divine origin. The power of God 
may be mysteriously with the latter, but not in sub- 
jective sense, as with the connection with the spirit 
of man, and yet unlimited and infinite as to the 
probable. The substance of the holy law containing 
the Ten Commandments was engraved by Moses 
on stone plates, while their divine essence was kept 
in the spirit of the loyal adherence of man. Their 
spiritual part couldn't, at any time since, be made 
to mingle with the matter, not even when executed 
through the systematic connection with the human 
intellect. 

The spiritual and material coalesce systematically 



98 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

in the human intellect ; the former having its relative 
element naturally present with the soul of man. 

The divine spiritual is indescribable as God is invis- 
ible, except when connected with the spirit of man, 
when it assumes forms in life, differently as to its 
distinctive character, or it becomes active in matter 
subjectively through the medium of man. The 
essence of the Ten Commandments may be termed 
the will of God guiding that of man, or establishing 
the will of man. Their vitality is mercy toward 
an erring humanity. The consequences of their 
violation bind the spirit to an unfree life by the 
knowledge of it, which becomes a record of convic- 
tions. The counterweight for their appearance 
is penalty for disobedience, while obeyance is adher- 
ence to their life element. A material enforcement 
needn't always be the term for their appearance; 
knowledge executes silently with the individual, the 
consequences positively. Revelation of the will 
of God is life; whether in forms of law or theories, 
they are both ideas received by inspirations. The con- 
dition or fitness with man for their acceptance is not 
distinctive by rules, but might be a natural one, not 
embarrassed with the wild run of mentality which 
materializes in sensualities of many kinds and extin- 
guishes the spiritual, thus removing the means 
of a connection with the divine spiritual. Diversions 
from the spiritual will always carry on to the material, 
and when not restricted on reasonable grounds, even, 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 99 

it might go beyond the kinds of animals which are 
restricted mechanically as to certain natural laws. 

The reasonable is thus, also, the universal mini- 
mum for the human kind, extremely guarded by the 
natural laws which point incessantly toward its normal, 
obedience. And it is also the receptorium for the 
condition of an extinguished spiritual life, pending 
a continual proposal of chances to respire, grow, and 
live the perpetual, in conformity with its destination. 

The appearance of the divine law by Moses, 
destined for general enlightenment as teaching, can- 
not be distinguished as to degree of quality from 
divine revelation generally; it was the beginning 
of a systematic evolution of divine truths and 
enlightenment, which at a farther stadium of develop- 
ment personified in Christ, who would not nullify the 
law by Moses on account of its eternal divinity. The 
law materialized with the ancient Israelites in absence 
of a faithful adherence to it with their spiritual self, 
and the Gospel may materialize with the Israelites 
of the modern times under the name of Christians, 
from a similar cause. Ideas move forward with the 
velocity of times, and their apparent difference by 
times is their development and different representa- 
tion. While they point toward an eternity of salva- 
tion, they have a paradise of the past. Life, the 
indescribable being, is their essence at every point 
of contact with the human race. Mortality is 
a material affair, death ceases by degrees of indi- 

t.ofC 



ioo CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

viduals the systematic connection of organic life and 
the spiritual soul of man, the latter retaining its 
individuality. 

While the severity of the divine Mosaic law is the 
consequence of the transgressions of them, they may 
have lacked the fullness for a religious system, but 
not the power as an object for belief, or an ideal 
of teaching. But they were systemized by a sup- 
plement of material laws which couldn't be perpetual 
on account of their nature being subject to the change 
of times. 

Some of the divine principles revealed by Christ 
are more forcible than the kind suggestions of the 
Ten Commandments, but their forcible character 
is not perceived from the free attitude of Christianity, 
until brought in opposition to life in its general course 
of different natural tendencies by virtue of the same 
element. Similar consequences may become facts 
if brought in opposition to the principles of the 
Mosaic law. The difference substantially between 
the revelation of the Mosaic law and that of the 
Gospel may not be greater than the different charac- 
teristics of times between those two periods, which 
means the lapse of fifteen hundred years, nearly. 
But the comparison is not necessary for the existence 
of either, except for their logical splendor; the very 
ideal cuts the chances for a retreat at every juncture 
of its race. The failure of the divine law by Moses 
is not yet manifest ; it still speaks to the Israelites 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE lot 

of the future as it did to those of the ancient times, 
but the failure of the Hebrews as a selected people 
may be a historical fact. 

The most apparent periodical difference at the 
epoch-making junctures of these divine revelations 
may be their force of life, which also marks their 
development. They remove opposing elements and 
establish the new at the same time and with the 
same power. Life and growth are connective series 
and instantaneous. 

When confronted by adversities, and the gentle 
mode of the divine suggestions to the people under 
the surveillance of Moses ceased to inspire obedience 
to the divine authority, and their belief was brought 
to trial, they faltered on reasonable grounds. Their 
belief was not shaken; it was their knowledge that 
pointed back to the past. Hence their desires were 
to return to Egypt. The supernatural wonders which 
shook the Egyptian nation and relieved them from 
thralldom, seem not to have kindled a spiritual life that 
endures trials for the retention of hope toward 
a future, and perceives the ability of the infinite 
Providence above the momental advent of life. 
Their belief was sensual, as they threw their weight 
of life entirely over on the action of the supernatural 
power and demanded to be borne on the easy ways 
of miracles. This threatened to cut them loose from 
reality and establish an unhealthy abnormity of life. 
Their belief survived the Egyptian tyranny under the 



102 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

bondage of oppression, as an element of resistance, 
but when brought to the free state of life as their own, 
and the consequences of their errors were pointing 
against themselves, it came near terminating in de- 
struction to them. What could be more unreasonable 
than to revolt against Moses, who had saved them 
from the Egyptian yoke and proposed to lead them 
to liberty, and whom Jehovah had acknowledged 
in conformity of their desires? And what could 
be more inconsequent than to return to Egypt and 
resume a life of thralldom which they had endured 
with pain and humiliation for centuries; and besides, 
such return would have been to walk into the mercy 
of a hostile people who would certainly have sought 
to avenge the loss of their pursuing forces at the 
fearful catastrophe of the Red Sea? Moses saw the 
situation, as he knew the people, and his power 
of belief perhaps saved them from extermination. 
The divine wonders had ceased to impress, and his 
appeal to their loyalty was effectless. And finally 
he was directed to teach them in the wilderness. 
By what power could he substitute his divine author- 
ity? The clemency of the divine guidance brought 
on to them a state of carelessness, and the jealousy 
on account of their transgressions brought them to the 
verge of destruction, which, with his interference, was 
changed to a life sentence of trouble and adversities 
without the enlightening hope of a future admit- 
tance to the promised land. 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 103 

It is almost certain that those unhappy turn 
of events brought forth a succession to the original 
plan of Moses, which he had not foreseen ; but as a man 
with whom combined the foremost facilities of divine 
enlightenment of intellect as well as material force 
and energy, he was the master of the situation. 

A plan for his famous law works became the para- 
mount question of the moment, and necessity helped 
him as to details. During the exercise of the enforce- 
ment of those laws, the people might be brought back 
to loyalty to Jehovah and educated to their important 
position of national existence in the midst of 
heathendom. 

Whenever divine ideas mingle with the human life, 
they are conspicuous by turning out success from 
adversities; victories from defeat; plans from per- 
plexities; systems from chaos; and logic from 
apparent contradiction. Circumstances of apparent 
unfavorable nature may be converted to their active 
agencies; most unreasonable affairs as a matter 
of conjecture, and yet truths at an immeasurable 
exponent; exemplification of the ideal of belief and 
the feature of a divine spiritual life. Always prece- 
dent both to mains and auxiliaries, in the absence 
of everything suitable as to material. Why do we 
contemplate Paradise as a supernatural piece of poetry 
when we have become acquainted with the science 
of geography? And why do we doubt the existence 
of a prehistoric period when we measure the slow 



io 4 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

progress of civilization by the unit of ages of a thou- 
sand years each, more or less, and with a constant, 
look at the millions of people yet in the rude state 
of barbarism, as an unerased illustrating background, 
prepared to furnish the proof. Because positive 
knowledge cannot venture beyond the extremes 
of the reasonable. Ideas may materialize, and 
if contended with as a matter of formalities they will 
leave in the substance only its natural relative — form. 

Jehovah did not destroy the Israelites in the wilder- 
ness; Moses effected a grant of continuance for them, 
which was not the natural course as a rule of order; 
it contained the cessation of the consequences of their 
diversion from the divine guidance. And it was 
conceded them on a condition which is not ideal, but 
a co4d fact of a fearful reality; exposing the spiritual 
condition of the people as an improbable case, impos- 
sible for a substantial adherence to the divine ideas. 

But ideas never founder on incidents, even when 
the existence of a whole people is involved; their 
momental present and future may combine over 
a space of time indefinite as to length. The next 
generation should enter the "sacred ground" of the 
promised land when all of their fathers had disap- 
peared except a few trusted men, with their families, 
who remind us of those messengers formerly men- 
tioned in this book who crossed the somber space 
of prehistoric barbarism. 

Providence instituted out of those disloyal Israel- 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 105 

ites, with the auxiliaries of the properties of the 
desert, the government form of Theocracy. 

Moses saved his people and possified their national 
future by undertaking to keep the equilibrium 
of rights. The first mortal being yet on record that 
undertook to do so with a scientific result. 

The extensiveness of his law works cannot be 
measured from the valleys and oases of the desert, 
scarcely distinguished from the top of Sinai, except 
for the seer and prophet, to whom the mystifying 
curtain of the distant times is rolled up. We may 
perceive some established consequence of his law 
works from the towers of Jerusalem, with her five 
hundred thousand inhabitants, at the time of Christ, 
which marks the culminating point of the Hebrew 
national existence. Their value on appearance was 
an imperative necessity. The suspending order 
of things was to the wandering Israelite a situation 
between life and death. The headway of destination 
was barren and forbidden by Jehovah, a retreat 
impossible. The zeal of Jehovah was manifested 
by supernatural actions; the wonders formerly 
in their favor had turned against them, and at several 
times caused them havoc of different nature. The 
leaders were pensive, awaiting developments. They 
were under its cloud literally. In the presence of God 
as a judge. The traditions of their religion conveyed 
to them promises of goodness and grandeur of future, 
but those, as we have seen, were to them matters 



106 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

of delivery without affecting their spiritual self; they 
had consented to them by adopting the formalities. 
Now they brought themselves in opposition to the 
practical performance of the divine ideas ; against the 
words of God that realize in judgment as well as they 
do to a spiritual life when adhered to. A reaction 
was not possible in the absence of interests generally, 
but a suspension of the affairs became evident, until 
the appearance of the new generation made the intro- 
duction of the system probable. 

From a concrete point of view, the conditions for 
the works so fruitful to civilization, which first saw 
light in the wilderness, became the juncture of necessi- 
ties, opportunity, and ability in the right person 
to cope with them, which Providence with never- 
failirfg foresight guides to the proper connection ; 
as a matter of result, the circumstances served the 
situation. To have introduced such a system while 
in Egypt, with the people scattered among a foreign 
nation, would have been improbable as to a result 
of enforcement for diverse causes, and their establish- 
ing subsequently to the possession of their Land would 
have required the introduction of a system of teaching 
with uneven chances of success. As a matter of fact, 
the material imperative was their anarchy. 

The divinity of the Mosaic law may be distin- 
guished by their stabilities. Besides the general 
adoption, throughout Christendom, of the Ten Com- 
mandments as a spiritual property, we perceive their 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 107 

trend running through the network of every civilized 
law system, which fact makes the affair of the wilder- 
ness a formidable one, and reflect during their immortal 
race all over the Earth, from the originator, the 
prophet, historian, and organizer. As a systematic 
whole, it is an organ for Theocracy ; that is, Theocracy 
became the result of the institution of the law system. 
Their apparent severity of certain instances is a counter- 
weight to the moral conditions of the times, and yet 
the parties concerned are styled a "holy people" 
by the presence of Jehovah. This severity combines 
the most providential elemency of information. They 
begin at the threshold and appeal to reason and invite 
to cultivate the better facilities of man, fixing penal- 
ties as consequences for evil doing. The religious 
exercises are likewise a clearing away of the wild 
jungles; an occupation of the spiritual consciousness 
to prevent the assumption of the heathen's ways 
of worshiping idols. Preparatory regulatives imposing 
power, submittance, subordination, as well as holding 
forth rewards for obedience and morality. Children 
in belief as in religious exercises ; worshiping connected 
with the pleasure of feasting; inviting in every way 
to understand the preference in serving Jehovah, and 
suggestive, as to the fineness and delicacy of the 
spiritual properties, with promptness and accuracy 
in observing certain offerings — half spiritual and half 
material. A hidden sanctuary teaching the observ- 
ance of the invisible God who spoke to Moses and the 



ioS CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

Patriarchs, and whom they were unable to conceive 
but as a material being. Provisions for reform for 
erring and fallen, while to the other side rights were 
weighed to the minuteness of equity and wrongs 
avenged to a degree of capital punishment. 

Worshiping by offerings is a mysterious affair, and 
is evident among different ancient people of heathen 
religion, always connected with some sort of cultural 
life in other directions. The offerings and sacrifices 
instituted by Moses had no similarity and relation 
with the Egyptian ways of worship. It originates 
with traditions at the earliest appearance of the Semites, 
and is undoubtedly a delivery to other Oriental people 
from them. Abraham offered as an expression of his 
most sacred feeling of divine observance. It origi- 
nates from the conscience of man ; an effort to connect 
with God and express joy of soul or distress. It is the 
effort of reason to worship in the material way, as it 
cannot perceive the spiritual God without a spiritual 
life. To speak to the invisible is a reasonable impos- 
sibility. Offerings and sacrifices helped the heathen 
people also, or else they would have thrown them 
away; it reminds us of the same mercy and love that 
let the sun pour his golden rays on the remote bar- 
barians as well as on the most devoted people in 
civilized modern Christendom. 

But among the different languages and tribes and 
races of the Oriental population, the Israelites alone 
were selected to serve Jehovah. The introduction 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 109 

of Theocracy was a systemized expression of the 
uniformity and relative nature of the coming spiritual 
life, as yet awaiting in the facilitating preparative 
under the rude surface of the condition of times; 
at the same time as its presence was the proper 
stadium of its development. One God and one Con- 
gregation. What an advancement from the general 
condition of times with the Oriental civilization when 
each tribe or people worshiped to the manipulated 
forms of the substance, and shaped their apprehension 
of their gods in conformity with their unbound natural 
inclinations and vices! Theocracy, though, facilitated 
more than one character; the religious devotions and 
uniformity. Its political importance will be com- 
mented on later. 

While the different nationalities or races of his- 
torical culture generally were selected, or rejected 
in consequence of their abilities or disqualifications 
as the bearers of the culture of their age, the selection 
of the Israelites as bearers of inspired divine knowl- 
edge materially points at some cause in the nature 
of particular gifts or other qualifications. Science 
and art developed into magnificent altitudes with 
some other historical people. Why not divine 
enlightenment in connection or simultaneously? The 
direct answer may be mystified with God, but we may 
perceive two different causes therefor, logically; the 
divine truths revealed by inspiration at different times 
required a systematic development which found its 



no CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

natural channels through the material development 
of a certain people connected by a natural relation 
with the tie of the blood as well as traditional 
culture. The material development of a certain 
tribe which resolved into the existence of a historical 
nationality, conveyed thus, with a physical familiarity, 
the development of divine ideas resolving into activity 
and form of a spiritual life and systemizing in the 
appearance of Christ. The other cause may be per- 
ceived in contemplating the spread of natural culture 
and science as preparative agencies employed in differ- 
ent capacities, from the first discovery of the practical 
usefulness of iron to the most decisive warfare ; from 
the rudest masonry to Phidias's Parthenon. The 
pioneer works of civilization in its different character- 
istics* is often hidden, in the gloom of forgetfulness, 
from their absence of decisive result, but they are not 
the less important or necessary. The advance guard 
which disappears in the fury of battle, perhaps failed 
to gain the victory, but it might facilitate a favorable 
termination of the affair as a final result. The ele- 
ments which counterweigh civilization at the begin- 
ning of its present race, and do so yet where culture 
is at the pioneer works, are neither offensive or 
defensive, and still they may be both if attacked with 
the effort of enlightenment or teaching. A similar 
disposition may have been evident when culture, 
at an early state, moved periodically in different 
currents destined by the unseen hand of the Almighty. 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE HI 

Christ calls it "the laying of the foundation of the 
world," which was not a geological blunder, as many- 
have been inclined to style it, but this world of civili- 
zation, and is one of the broadest contemplations and 
learned definitions of its true condition so far on 
record. 

Moses, at the head of the introduction of The- 
ocracy, was the advance guard of a spiritual life 
to come; systemizing by the evolution of the will 
of a personal God, and at the head of the Israelites 
who fell in the wilderness, he was the advance guard 
into liberty and independent national existence. 
As to the latter the condition of affairs natural for 
the emergencies appeared with the second generation, 
who, foremost, had in fresh memory the examples 
from the fate of their fathers; it grew up with them 
from childhood as a warning follower through their 
life and became one of the auxiliaries by which they 
entered into the promised land. Simultaneously 
with those stirring advents came the issuance and 
reading of the "Holy Law," which invoked an awe- 
striking sentiment to the Congregation, hitherto 
unknown as to the impression of fear for the God 
of their forefathers. They would have fled from 
Sinai, but how could they flee from their own self? 
They were unable to perceive the kindness and mercy 
evolving from the guidance of Jehovah, and the conse- 
quences of the observance of those laws which meant 
only their own luck. In fact the time was still remote 



H2 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

which should receive a direct teaching from the invis- 
ible God, as the good tidings. But they served the 
object even then. Their mentality and reason was so 
severely censured that it broke their power of resistance 
against the authority of Jehovah and the executing of 
the policy for their safety of journey. While on the 
other side, their life of belief was balanced by frequent 
supernatural wonders and marvelous success in their 
wars against hostile tribes by which they were sur- 
rounded in every direction. The situation in reality 
was reform of the most thorough-working nature. But 
times were too primitive for an epoch. The people 
became convinced of their guilt and awakened to 
a moral consciousness of self, and were put on guard 
against the irregularities of life which formerly were 
considered the natural order of things. The ''Holy 
Law" rolled up before them a contemplation of their 
own state of condition. Knowledge, truth, reason, 
with the consequences inevitable. Jehovah, whom 
they formerly had considered at a remote distance 
with the tradition of Abraham, had now become 
a reality among their midst ; their ruler, guide, and 
avenger, with Moses as an executor of His will, or as 
a second in command. The beauty of the divine ideal 
must have been concealed to them, as it did not 
inspire to a thorough-going ideal life. Their appre- 
hension of the strength of the divinity in it was too 
vague to create a spiritual life that became active 
by the power of the truth, and live by a vivified 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 113 

belief, and hence their way of worshiping was still 
to be closely connected with the material affairs 
of every-day life; their social orders; their tradition; 
nationality; political future; the tie of the blood, and 
moral self-respect ; and environed by a system of laws. 
As a spiritual power the Israelites from Sinai were 
an entirely negative one, and at every point of rules, 
guarding against influences from the outside. This 
indicates that the elements of reason received mostly 
the educating influence of the radical reformative 
culture at the time; whereas a spiritual life, on 
account of its positive character, whether in the indi- 
vidual or congregation, always being active outwardly. 

Moses, being well aware of the condition with the 
people, doesn't seem to have contemplated his 
reformatory works as a complete system for all times 
to come; he saw it develop in the future and called 
attention to others who should come with fullness 
of the divine will toward mankind, realized with the 
power of love. He established the proper means for 
their success and taught them their calling of future, 
but the future didn't use the opportunity. They 
mistook their calling as a "holy people," for their 
political importance, magnified by their marvelous 
success of conquest, which also caused their later 
change to the government form of Autocracy. 

Some historians will have attributd to the wonder- 
ful selection of the Israelites and their original and 
isolated character of culture, the distinction of the 



H4 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

conqueror; to spread their distinctive culture by the 
power of the sword, etc. But the institution of 
Theocracy, their geographical situation, and foremost 
of all, the condition of the times coincident with their 
period of power, is opposed to such contemplation, 
and history shows evidences that this was the point 
they faltered on. Besides, all their conspicuous 
teachers warned them against the idea of political 
greatness by conquest. To conquer at those times 
was to exterminate the population concerned, or drive 
them out of their land. Submittance was only 
momental, and relapsed into revolt as soon as the 
conqueror withdrew from the scene of his victories, 
and continual war was at those times the consequence 
of such policy. 

The Romans, at a later period, were bound to carry 
on war constantly for four hundred years as a conse- 
quence of the conquest of a few Italian tribes in the 
neighborhood of Rome. 

The Israelites inherited their Land and established 
the borders of their territory subsequently to their 
invasion, and they inherited the hate of those who 
were forced to surrender to them, which caused 
a temporary reflux of the former possessors, and a con- 
stant plague to the new inhabitants, so that only the 
most powerful leaders could keep the old enemies 
outside their borders, and the situation grew at times 
so depressive that their hostile neighbors actually 
retook part of the territory and made themselves the 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 115 

masters of the situation, by forcing the Israelites 
to a condition of servitude. This finally became 
a national calamity, and the hope supplied from one 
generation to another for a permanent relief from 
their cruel tormentors. Their expectation and needs 
transmitted into the imagination of a future kingdom 
of political strength and independence. This finally 
grew to a strong belief and reversed their sights for 
their calling to represent a spiritual system of divine 
ideas and teaching, while they constantly sought from 
afar what they possessed in their own ; in the brains 
and muscles of themselves. They were a national 
power from the time of their invasion into Palestine 
and fully equal to the emergencies for national 
integrity as well as to power of occupancy of their 
Land. 

While they thus allowed themselves to drift into 
a chaos of adversities and their hopes hovered between 
the dreams of some future national greatness as rulers 
over the entire Syria, and the reality of inability 
to cope with the most important exigencies for 
a probable existence as a people, they perhaps failed 
to see that if kept loyal to the teaching of Moses, 
they would have established a strong morality in 
themselves and from that foundation obtained the 
opportunities for success materially; as a consequence 
awarded them by divine promises. They chose as 
their ideal object of future the very thing they were 
the failures on. They reversed their own destiny. 



n6 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

When the government form of the Israelites trans- 
formed into Autocracy, their spiritual character as 
a people disappears from their national surface; 
as their period of greatness under Autocracy could 
not satisfy the conditions as an exemplification for 
an organized spiritual life. They still believed in 
Jehovah and observed the ceremonies instituted by 
Moses, but Jehovah ceased to be their foremost leader. 
The spiritual transforms into the material. The 
prophets sent from Jehovah with important warnings 
or good news, couldn't find way into their attention, 
which shows that as a spiritual power the people were 
no longer "in it"; in the ideal of the revelation 
connected with their calling. Whenever those voices 
of the time appeared and reminded them of their 
divine importance, their pledges, or their errors, they 
became troublesome to the general opinion, and they 
generally put an end to their lives, while they always 
styled themselves as "the children of the prophets." 
The Congregation was still a fact and the temple serv- 
ice and offerings properly attended to ; and the 
Levites were solely occupied in their divine service 
of the people, but the spiritual momentum which 
formerly united under the one Lord, and inspired 
to effort or imposed fear, was no longer a stirring 
evidence. This would not signify that spiritual life 
was extinct ; it may live and grow in the mysterious 
tranquillity of the individual, and who can tell to what 
extent? There are more opportunities to secrete the 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 1*7 

life-ideals of oneself than there are chances to expose 
them with a show of sympathy and participation. 
As a rule, it may not be best to include a whole 
people or the Congregation for illustrating the differ- 
ent degrees of spiritual conditions in man and find the 
true facsimile, as it is original foremost with the indi- 
vidual, except during extraordinary exciting situations 
when the universal life assumes the sensitiveness and 
activity of the individual, and the latter the impor- 
tance of the former. It is with the individual the 
ideas of God are conceived and cultivated to activity 
of a live being; the individual is the systematical in- 
tegral subjectively and the objective contribute. But 
it hides away generally at the most interesting 
features, and substitutes the misgiving ones, perhaps 
involuntarily, while socially the medium of connection 
under the strain of exciting events become so vivified 
by the common interest that the same motive stirs 
all similarly and simultaneously. This phenomenon 
is at times so marked that a logical observation of the 
true condition may be had, while the reverse might 
be the result under tranquil cricumstances, from 
a surface view only. 

Life, in its keenest facilities, hides in the individual 
at the mysterious depth of discretion; it hides by 
hesitating for choice of forms, from modesty, and 
reason often conceals the keenest property of lan- 
guage, while both concede to the expression, in the 
form of music, for instance, which convey the 



n8 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

unspeakable and yet understood. The speculative 
fiction will seldom go beyond the general course 
of opinion which may deal with life as a circumstance, 
and perhaps gain in form by it, while genius, when 
occupied at the calling, may illustrate to a degree 
of the true natural reality. 

The Congregation as an organized body may repre- 
sent the individual when intensely conscious of its 
life-issue, which practically happens only occasionally; 
as the activeness brought forth by the vivifying 
contribution of the many relapses back to the indi- 
vidual, where it is lodged by different degrees from 
the minimum to normality. From this the Congre- 
gation is more than the organization of formalities, 
as it represents the uniformity of the ideas pertaining 
to it? life-issue, and exhibits the individual position 
as contributory, and consequently it might establish 
a maximum. Then the congregation is objective 
as to the life of belief, and not an integer, and it 
is system only as far as it may be able to retain 
the objective uniformity of its ideal which may 
cause a temporary integrity, since it confesses the 
authority and truth of the revelation of the will 
of "one" God. But when brought in opposition 
within itself an account of divided opinions of issue, 
it immediately becomes the mere matter of organi- 
zation and the divine connection remains with the 
individual, which consequently also ceases the execu- 
tive authority with the former. The ideas of truth 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 119 

are systems more complete, perhaps, than any other 
discovered system in physical and organic nature. 
Principles in opposition become the reversed order 
of things, as, for instance, an effort to turn the flowing 
river against the laws of gravity. The ideal spiritual 
life systemizes in the individual human intellect and 
forms the subjective integer with a will, responsi- 
bilities, and logic from its systematic character, while 
it always remains the objective contributory, lest the 
spiritual life should cease. Hence the individual, 
when of an original cast, will more legibly represent 
ideas in practical existence than will the congregation 
or people. 

I will try to exemplify from reality, with two 
eminent personalities, both representatives of the 
divine ideas, as properties of teaching, at two different 
stadiums of development, as the evolution of the will 
of God, on one side the magnificence of the situation 
when the personal representation is confluent with the 
life motive of the Congregation or people, when the 
same impulse stirs all about a common object, and 
in the other, the fatality of the situation when the 
people brought in confound opposition to the ideal 
representation of the times; those two personalities 
are Moses and Christ. The former situation was 
evident when Moses at the entrance of the promised 
land announced to his people the resignation of his 
leadership. After having determined their geographi- 
cal boundaries, he received their most sacred vow 



120 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

to remain loyal to the institution and traditional 
selection which contained their destiny. Then the 
Congregation, trembling by its apprehension of the 
presence of Jehovah, pledging the vow, was impulsed 
with the same motive as Moses — God-fear. The 
people had awakened by being constantly confronted 
to the enlightenment of the divine will as an inevitable 
reality. The condition was a radical self-conscious- 
ness, with an intense feeling of responsibilities to God 
and to its calling as a selected people. It had tried 
the strength of its own self, by the will of Providence, 
as an individual affair, and the consequences of errors 
had become realities in the same degree. The situ- 
ation was not the moment of suspense pending its 
future between destruction or safety with equal 
probability to either side, as was the situation with 
their fathers at the foot of Sinai, but the tranquil 
resignation to the supreme guidance of Jehovah. 
The tradition became confluent with the question 
of the moment, and the people wept for their fathers 
who fell in the wilderness. The mingling of profound 
sorrow and joy seldom expresses the feeling in words 
or language, but dissolves the pressure of sentiment 
in tears. 

It appears as if that supreme moment compensated 
Moses for all his troubles and adversities. His works 
had realized in the people and reflected the luster 
of victory unto himself at the end of his life, while 
he saw the ideal of his belief realized in a far remote 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 121 

future. His life was a contribution to his works and 
ideal, and yet his modesty declined to appear in 
a selfish personal way, even with the details of his 
departure from life, which is also the culminating 
point of his power of vitality. . . . The other 
instance of exemplification appears at the culminating 
point of the Hebrew nationality, and marks the 
extreme fatality of the condition when the public 
mind as well as the Congregation becomes devoid 
of all spiritual consciousness of self-respect and 
absence of conviction of righteousness as well as prin- 
ciples of duty from one person to another, authority 
toward the subject, people toward the individual, 
congregation toward the different members, and the 
material toward the spiritual, etc. ; such fatality 
of situation was the fact ; when they had sentenced 
Jesus to suffer the penalty of death, and not a voice 
of authority arose for his defense. What a change 
of the spiritual affairs with those people from the 
instance when their fathers stood united in pledging 
their most sacred vow to submittance to the divine 
law. Moses and Christ were both the true represen- 
tations of their times, as they were personifications 
of the ideal at a far different stadium of development. 
Those two periods, as links in the material chain 
of the Hebrew nationality, mark the entrance to 
national manhood and the exit to the sepulchre 
of degeneration, while the two conspicuous person- 
alities mentioned, the one greater than the other, 



122 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

apparently connect over a short space of time; like a 
yesterday and a to-morrow. One consecrating the 
Israelites for a future mission, and the other bringing 
amnesty for failure to accomplish the will of the 
majesty of God. 

History may find the climax of the Hebrew 
national greatness wherever it may discover the declin- 
ing symptoms of unhealthy national condition; the 
nation of Israelites ceased to be, at the. change into 
Autocracy, while the works of Moses continued 
throughout the existence of the Hebrew nationality 
from the very same causes as made them the backbone 
of the moral law system of to-day, with the exclusion 
of the religious ceremonies which still remain the 
peculiar characteristic with the Hebrews, while the 
Israelites became a common synonym for all believers 
in the spiritual God, from any nationality. 

Ideas containing divine truths will never become 
failure; the inability of a given time to apprehend 
and realize is supplemented by another time in future 
regardless of a past opposition or adherence to them. 
The times marking their absence are the penalties for 
omittances, imposed by the laws of cause and conse- 
quences. At the same time, they may live in par- 
ticular insignificance under the stir of everything else, 
common to life generally. 

The ideal period of the Israelites as a people 
is coincident with the time of their government by the 
"judges." Their speedy material development 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 123 

numerically, as well as the accumulation of wealth, 
falls in under this period. Besides, it added to their 
culture-historical treasure some of the finest literary 
productions we have from their times, through any 
of the historical channels of ancient delivery. The 
first book of Samuel bristles with aesthetics and clear- 
ness of expression, and its connective composition 
of the matter qualifies it equal with any modern 
historical works. His way of bringing to the surface 
the leading spiritual currents of the time and connect- 
ing them with the most important events, whether 
favorable or damnable to the people, is a mastership. 
If we compare it with the Egyptian ways of writing 
history at that time, and notice how they try to turn 
everything in their favor, at the expense of any one else 
concerned, in their warfare especially, we may under- 
stand how productive the moral works of Moses had 
grown already ; although an individual contemplation 
of the leaders of the Israelites wouldn't produce a true 
measure of the condition among the people generally. 

Samuel was especially gifted for a spiritual life, and 
devoted much of his principal interest to the divine 
attention of the people. He established a school for 
grown men, with systematic theoretical teaching; "the 
prophet school," called on account of Samuel being 
the principal instructor and originator of them. 

He lacked the mental force of Moses, eminently, 
as the leader, to enforce a practical result and turn 
circumstances in favor of his plans. But his connec- 



124 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

tion with Jehovah was perhaps equal to that of Moses. 
He was brought up and educated in the exercise 
of the temple service, which bent his entire personal 
being for the kinder facilities of life; and besides, the 
general introduction of the religious system required 
much attention and work. Important matters from 
controversies among the people were brought before 
him as official matters in his capacity as the supreme 
judge. He had to investigate the cases and hear 
their murmurs, and decide rights. It was, therefore, 
not until the hostilities of the old enemies assumed 
the gravest nature, he put himself at the head of the 
army as the commander-in-chief. Then he executed 
judgment of righteousness in conformity with the will 
of God. He contemplated the Israelites as a holy 
people and loved them as a father loves his children. 
When attacked by the hostile neighbors, who had 
but a vague sense of dealing in a humane way, it 
aroused his zeal, which became multiplied as to force, 
from the fact that he was the judge. He was aware of 
the divinity of their callings and the bad influences 
sustained by the mingling of the heathen foreigners. 
Hence the jealousy which apparently would come 
in opposition to the more gentle inclinations of a holy 
man, whose bent of life was mostly the nobler life 
of soul. We may perceive his motive for dealing 
with the enemies of his people when recollecting his 
office as judge paramount to that of the general- 
in-chief ; he weighed the iniquities of the tormentors 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 125 

of his people, and the moral consequences of their 
influences as to their heathen religion. It was a con- 
stant weakness with the Israelites, to want a sub- 
stantial object for their worship; Aaron was once 
carried by the force of sentiment in that direction, 
and they showed this tendency at every opportunity. 
Hence the wrath of Samuel when he went on the war- 
path. No pardon to captured or free; people and 
animals ; children and grown — all exterminated — 
destroyed. There should be no one left among his 
people to mention and swear in the name of the 
foreign gods. Such was the attitude of Samuel when 
he arose in the stormy hurricane of the time ; other- 
wise all kindness, and accessible for the weak as well 
as the mighty, even to details of particular life. 
As a child, everybody loves him from the aesthetic 
illustrations which convey to our times the information 
including the period of his youth. 

Those who may have been inclined to style Theoc- 
racy as political despotism and as a religious hierarchy, 
will see by the facts that the change of government 
form was the consequence of a popular desire of the 
people, and by the servile attitude of the Levites, 
that it was neither. Almost every important public 
affair, when not in contradiction to the "Holy Law," 
was a matter of decision of the people. But the 
absence of public spirit left them nearly entirely with- 
out a political organization practically, which fact 
accounts for the easy invasion into their land and the 



126 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

surprises by their inherited enemy. And the awk- 
wardness of those tribes that were located in safety, 
to help their more exposed brethren, often made 
a natural defense of the land a local affair. The 
isolating peculiarity of their national character was 
not, therefore, erased, and their natural relationship 
was cultivated foremostly through their religious 
exercises and guarded by particular provisions in their 
common statute book, but they didn't use the right 
opportunities for a political organization suitable 
to the exigencies of the times. An intense atten- 
tion to their private affairs, connected with their 
material development, may be one of the causes. 
But it is conspicuous how every opportunity was laid 
close to their hands for the initiative toward a more 
powerful and aggressive self-government which might 
have determined their entire national future differ- 
ently. As a consequence of their omittances to use 
those opportunities, the people became materialized 
even in their religion, and the material carries the seed 
for reaction everywhere. The Congregation became 
more the exercise of formalities, and the influences 
from the surrounding heathen religions became con- 
tagious; they found ways to crawl in everywhere, 
even with the breath of the same air, and only the most 
radical means of order could check it temporarily. 

The art of war being cultivated as a trade with 
most every people at those times, but to introduce 
a permanent leadership to take care of their military 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 127 

affairs and call them to arms when hostile invasion 
was to take place didn't seem to have been hinted 
at by the Israelites; they generally pointed out one 
for the occasion, and they had to wait for the appear- 
ance of such one, when not at hand for the exigency. 
In the mean time, they remained pensive and witnessed 
the devastation of great portions of their lands, as well 
as destruction of life and property, during which 
a general devotion to reform and revival to the law 
of Jehovah, took place. Although the real cause for 
those calamities during the existence of Theocracy was 
their materialized religious apprehension. They 
wanted a supernatural interference where they had 
the material facilities plentifully among themselves 
to satisfy the exigencies, or they sought from the 
distant what might have developed from the facilities 
of their own to the most effective result. When 
thoroughly tired of the condition brought forth 
by their mistakes and disloyalty, they sought the 
opposite extreme as a remedy — a political possibility 
under Autocracy. The relief this change wrought 
during the subsequent three generations should 
be attributed to their most successful period under 
the judges; not as a reformatory result, but as the 
destiny from a time full of distress and adversities. 
Those great leaders and wise men that mark the first 
century of Autocracy, and the one million three hun- 
dred thousand men fit for war service that David 
counted, is the people that came out from Samuel. 



CHAPTER VI 

Autocracy erased from the national surface of the 
Israelites the expressive feature of spiritual originality, 
and transformed the bright glory from its youthful but 
stormy morning carrying so many promises on its brow. 

The nation still continued in material development, 
but the current of the times had carried away its 
divine mark of nobility and its ideal sign of distinc- 
tion. It had yielded its leading attitude to a power 
much inferior to that of its own, and drifted hence- 
forth for any current of the time. The nation that 
took the lead in the cultural development of that age 
didn ; t continue under the form of Theocracy ; it trans- 
formed in their spiritual way into Democracy, and 
history has preserved plenty of evidence to show 
to what standard of development they arrived 
as leaders of ancient culture. A somewhat gloomy 
spiritual atmosphere is left hovering over the smiling 
Oriental nature by the flight of their inspiring angel, 
and that gloom was temporarily rent by the victorious 
yell of the conquering power that went from one 
people to another; from one city to another forward- 
ing in advance of their fearful coming the message 
for unconditional surrender or to the contrary, fixing 
a certain time for the terminal of their existence, 
which was executed with mechanical regularity. 

128 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 129 

Thus were the powers which some time later took 
the lead among the Oriental people and developed 
to an awe-striking magnitude. The Hebrew nation 
had to share the fate of the rest of them ; and dance 
to the music of the leading power in war. But the 
gloom of the times may have its cloud-clear horizon, 
as the desert has its oasis, and the Hebrew nation 
was temporarily seen in the clearing, until finally 
perceived in the summit of a bright star whose brill- 
iance blinded the multitude of the immediate surround- 
ings, whence its sparkling light circumscribed the 
Earth. It is the star from Bethlehem. 

The most impressive character of the oriental 
civilization at the period of year 1000 B. C. and 
thenceforth was war. The inland trade, which 
gradually had assumed to a considerable magnitude 
and contained the only peaceable connecting means 
between the different people, was imposed on by the 
unfriendly circumstances and possible only as tempo- 
rary affairs, while the commercial affairs by way of the 
Mediterranean increased by steady development 
on account of the safety of peace, whereas the scene 
of war was yet restricted to the dry territory. 
Nationalities were not actually a unit of power, 
as they generally lacked the sharp dividing lines 
of both language and particular organization ; it was 
a matter of variety between strength or weakness 
of the different rulers whether or not they could 
manage to bring the collection of tribal diversities 



130 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

which composed their realms to submittance under 
their scepter. Knowledge was not generally distrib- 
uted as the matter of systematic teaching, but 
incidentally spread the talkative subjects of every- 
day life, while art and science, more or less restricted 
to a comparatively few, were the only matters of study 
and learning. The exchange of culture inter- 
nationally went exclusively in connection with trade. 
The particular feature or advancement of the culture 
of a certain people was seldom a property of continu- 
ance, as it was generally torn to pieces under the 
avalanche of conquering armies which often swept 
the country from one end to another, carrying with 
them in their race cultural treasures of most any kind ; 
and .sometimes even the populations were turned 
over as an article of trade. Those conditions may 
account for the fact that the Oriental civilization 
brought forth scarcely no independent characteristics 
of its cultural age; their efforts in that direction, when 
not destroyed under the storms of the times, went over 
and mingled with a higher gifted productiveness 
of the coming ages under the Greek and Romans, who 
set their characteristic mark on the whole by bringing 
forth a standard of development. 

While it is not my object to write the history 
of that period, I am making a few comparisons 
between Theocracy as an ideal form of ancient 
government and the subsequent existing order of the 
affairs, without any fixed object. 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 13 1 

When the Hebrews became a political power under 
autocracy, their conspicuous aspect became a source 
of anxiety among their neighbors. The wars hereto- 
fore of a more or less tribal character assumed the 
question of Syrian hegemony and divided the Syrian 
population into three principal groups, and the series 
of wars which followed did not seem to have decided 
the balance of power actually to either of them. The 
division of the Hebrews into two different nations 
made it impossible for either of them alone to hold 
the power of hegemony, at the same time as this 
ceased their supremacy over a few neighboring tribes 
which were made the contributor to the Hebrews 
during the powerful government of King David. 
But they formed alliances on either side, of more 
or less duration, even with Egypt, which kept Syria 
divided alternately into two or three opposing 
factions. The following mixture of the different 
people in connection with destructive wars was very 
demoralizing to the Hebrews, and the religious serv- 
ices as public affairs, in conformity with the "Holy 
Law" was almost wiped out from the people contain- 
ing the "ten tribes." The different throne-pretend- 
ents took advantage of the weakness with the 
Hebrews to worship the form of a god in substance, 
and for the purpose to gain the popularity necessary 
for an access to the throne, they made idols of the 
nobler metal which at that time was equally scarce 
as appreciated, and connected with the worship 



13 2 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

of those idols the most sensual pleasures and indul- 
gences. A people with a thus wounded conscience; 
with the traditions against them, and in opposition 
to the Holy Law, couldn't entertain a moral stability. 
They were, therefore, frequently an easy prey to the 
invading forces from either side, unless connected 
with stronger allies of foreign nations. At times they 
bought the mercy of the conquerors with their valu- 
ables. Judea, although numerically the inferior of the 
two Hebrew nations, always possessed more political 
influence among their neighbors than the others. 
But it was not an independent power, always moved 
by the wild tendency of the times, and at drift for 
any direction of the stormy events. 

Two hundred years earlier, the Hebrew nation 
entered into the political arena as a grown champion, 
morally healthful and ambitious, as if ready to conquer 
the world, and with every facility for preserving a 
national integrity, and keeping the surrounding hostile 
tribes at a respectful distance ; now they were reduced 
in political influence below their neighbors and morally 
they were about entering the low measure of the times. 
The modern religion was the heathen idol-worship; 
had gained a notorious popularity all over Palestine. 
But not without contrasts as to minor remnants of the 
people still entertaining loyalty to the teaching 
of Moses. The prophet Elijah gives the number 
of seven thousand who bent their knees to Jehovah 
alone, which, though a small percentage of the whole 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 133 

people, shows a preservance of the truth hidden with 
a minority of individuals. 

When the Syrian powers had exhausted their 
strength materially and morally in continual war, 
without any political result of historical importance, 
their united power of resistance was reduced beyond 
a possibility to cope with the Assyrian multitude 
which soon should sweep over the entire land. The 
population was in poverty, a portion of the country 
devastated, fortifications partly in ruins, and the 
different factions representing the political powers, 
in direct opposition and hostility. Those eastern 
Semite people who mutilated Syria, undisturbed 
of the tribal diversities which disqualified the latter 
for any united effort against a common foe, had 
grown to the present magnitude of power mostly 
on account of the natural condition of their country, 
which fertility and even geographical situation accu- 
mulated the population within an area of continued 
settlement, and thus facilitating a national uniformity, 
they were easily kept to submittance under the one 
ruler whose power was dependent on success in war. 

Those stormy moves from the East gave vent 
to the most terrible and heartrending bloody affairs 
which perhaps ever were witnessed in the history 
of mankind. The only safe place as to protec- 
tion of peace was on the ocean. And this con- 
dition of affairs lasted for centuries. As the power 
of supremacy shifted between the different people 



134 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

in the East, Syria was a certain and common prey 
to them all, and it only changed as to them in degrees 
of severity of punishment for their constant effort 
to throw off the loathed yoke of their tormentors. 
Syria never got the chance to return the blows; those 
people which inherited its cultural treasures seem 
to have been also charged with the duty to execute 
revenge. 

The pressure from the East caused a wild panic 
among the part of the Oriental population still remain- 
ing in division of comparatively small sizes of tra- 
ditional origin. Some of those emigrated in bodies 
of entire population, leaving their countries to devas- 
tation, while others were forced to leave by the 
imperative of the conqueror. Nations and tribes 
were thrown pell-mell into a chaos from different 
directions, and almost every dividing line between 
races and nationalities was removed. The general 
situation resembled the ''people-wandering" which 
took place in Asia and Europe one thousand to four- 
teen hundred years later, although without the 
marked historical result of the latter. 

Theocracy, as a political form of government, was 
a supplement by divine truths to what the times 
lacked in ability to organize society systematically. 
That is, its political quality contained a priority of the 
times by at least one thousand years. It was a foun- 
dation to a system in which the spiritual and material 
questions of life should congregate in one positive 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 135 

national integrity, applicable for all emergencies. 
Religion and politics melted together within one 
congregation; one people of one belief, and under 
the guidance of one God. What a contrast between 
a social condition with an ideal policy destined for 
a future and with God as the ruling majesty, and the 
existing order of the times as the matter of facts, 
terminating into miseries which baffle all description. 
The question might be, if they could have succeeded? 
They had the probabilities by the divine calling; 
by tradition ; by a promise as to future success, and 
their ideals were being theoretically systemized as far 
as could be practically followed up to at the present 
stadium. Theocracy was not a suggestive proba- 
bility, however; it was an affair of immense impor- 
tance, containing no less than the existence of a moral 
factor in civilization which might have evolved 
a practical moral life, bringing into light the rights 
of humanity through the existence of the Israelite 
nationality, and on account of its positive nature 
spread influences over the entire Orient. Their iso- 
lating traditionality was only the preliminary stadium. 
The larva is restricted to its cell only a portion of its 
lifetime; when it becomes a summer bird, it flies 
wherever it pleases. The Israelites had an ideal 
future, unlimited as to possibilities, when we think 
of what happened to them when confronted to the 
reasonably insurmountable. But their selection was 
conditional on themselves. The ideal life, whether 



I3 6 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

divine or humanly, is conditional as pertaining the 
essence or contents of the ideas in question. The 
condition is the realization of the ideal with the indi- 
vidual self as the contribute. Moses wrote the 
divine ideal in form of the "Holy Law"; it becomes 
law as a truth, or its ethic force becomes established 
by its revelation ; while its realization is the adherence 
to its principles with righteousness. Other divine 
truths have a similar force. Loyalty is logical, even 
when it fails from lack of perfection. Established 
truths realize, even through the opposition of them, 
when they realize by the consequences. The 
Hebrews didn't stumble on the law as far as its 
divinity concerns. The divine ideas lead by their 
perfection and splendor to a degree away ahead 
of comprehension as to the value of their present; 
they are infinite both in extent and properties. 
A human being could not apprehend the burden 
of them, except by a feeling of individual responsi- 
bility which may be caused by enlightenment. The 
"ban" which followed the laws of Moses is their 
realization against contradiction, or the consequences 
taught theoretically; spiritual affairs realize often 
materially to either side. The consequences were 
advanced theoretically as a warning to prevent His 
people walking into destruction unawares, and like 
the entire civil part of the law system, they were the 
environing of the apprecious essence of a spiritual life, 
and also a national life. 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 1 37 

Whereas Theocracy was a coalescence of both 
religion and politics, it may be improper to weigh its 
political possibility separately, as its ideal was the 
spiritual character, like the soul to the body; hence 
it resembles an amputation when the Hebrews entered 
into the political sea under Autocracy. Reaction, 
when stirred by sentiment, sometimes carries along 
with it those who formerly led to the front line 
of progress. 

Theocracy provided strictly union, and a moral 
stability corresponding to the material strength 
would, as a practical affair, preserve their national 
integrity and assert the balance of power in Syria. 
Jehovah was at one time the terror among their hostile 
surroundings. The Greeks, for instance, held their 
own against their multiple of Persian invaders and 
drove them out of their country. So their existence 
was practically secure on reasonable grounds. 

Theocracy, in its social character, contained the 
common humane rights as the possible results on 
a further stadium of development, while its present 
value as the leading power of the times was its syste- 
matic organization. The Hebrews, with the excep- 
tion of a minority, lost sight of its ideals and became 
reduced to the low measure of the practical existing 
condition of the times, and was forced to share their 
fate, as they formerly had adopted their erroneous 
ways. The periodical Hebrew literature, partly con- 
taining their history, at no instance, subsequent 



I3 8 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

to the division of the Hebrew nation, conveys the 
expression of the public spirit, but a minority, loyal 
to the law of Jehovah, and represented by learned 
men and prophets, to warn against the diversion of the 
people, or comfort in times of calamities, was con- 
tinually in existence, even during their period 
of exile. Its influence as an opposition, though, 
was merely individual. Some of the best Biblical 
literature was brought forth during the most depres- 
sive adversities of national calamities. The public 
spirit may be perceived by the absence of any radical 
effort to reform, except at a few instances, to rein- 
state the formalities of the temple service. 

Theocracy contained the civilizing elementarity 
of the times. Social system was exemplified by it, 
as its principles appealed to the individual conviction. 
Politically it was Democracy under the preliminary 
instructions, led by continual revelation of divine 
ideas containing the happiness of mankind, as they 
contained enlightenment. As an institution it was 
destined for more than the enlightening preservance 
of one nation, since it led by its superior qualities. 
Suppose it had impressed by its good qualities the 
surrounding people in the same proportion as the 
absence of a positive force caused the Hebrews to be 
influenced by the general conditions of the times! 
It was a system containing both the spiritual and 
material elements, and consequently its aggressive 
character was established as an opportunity subject 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 139 

to their own initiative, and by morality and an active 
cultural life, the barbarian tendencies of the times 
might have fallen for it as a superior power. The 
probabilities for the success of the age was vested 
in Theocracy, as the contrary, without any political 
result, is a historical fact. The kinder agencies of life 
became inactive and without influence as a civilizing 
element, while the imperative of war continued the 
dominating power without any known social issue as a 
purpose, and consequently without result. 

The isolating peculiarity of the Israelites derived 
not from the divine ideal; it was a matter of circum- 
stance, as mentioned before in this book, and pertained 
a certain childhood of their development. We know 
from what happened later on in connection with 
Christianity, besides the character understood by the 
term of ideal, that the spread of divine teaching to the 
heathen people was not accidental, or conditioned 
by the rejection of the Hebrews. While we have 
no business to investigate into the secrets of God for 
the termination of apparent contrasting events, into 
the right auxiliaries for success, more than we have 
right to attribute bad results to the will of Providence, 
there is no doubt but that wherever the good spirit 
moves there are provided ample opportunities. 
Failure of the ideal life is caused by prolonged disuse 
of the opportunities. The civilizing mission vested 
with the national appearance of the Israelites was 
enlightenment against ignorance; morality against 



HO CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

vice; God against the demons. It was a tremendous 
effort of divine origin to gain headway by a short 
line of inspirations and supernatural wonders, of a 
destructive element which aggravated the chances for 
a successful result of the human race. 

Theocracy fell by the will of the people, and the 
Hebrew nation failed from lack of system, which was 
equally important as their selection as a holy people. 
Its divine property couldn't fall by Theocracy, 
it became an individual affair under the laws of 
spiritual life. God wouldn't dwell in the costly 
Temple of Solomon, but He was their leader and 
majesty when the people gathered in belief around 
the Tabernacle which was the sanctuary of Theocracy. 

Times were not shrewd enough to have made 
it a political policy to entice the Israelites to relin- 
quish on their form of government, otherwise it would 
have been one of the keenest planned stratagems that 
ever was known in the history of politics, as to its 
eventful consequences to the people concerned, 
although their enemies knew very well from experi- 
ence where the Israelites had their stronghold, and 
it appears they arranged their attacks accordingly. 
Altogether, when we study the entire history of this 
remarkable move through its success as well as appar- 
ent failure, it appears as if times fought against 
Providence; man against God, with every humanly 
effort at hand to baffle the move. But Providence 
came out victorious by extending the right to every 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE H 1 

nationality or parts thereof to become members 
of the Israelites, who listened to the words of God. 

The theory of cause and consequence is positive 
and exacting enough to be applied in subjective sense 
as in the objective; we need not appear to be the 
judges when destiny carries out the judgment. The 
objective appearance of truths, even when ascer- 
tained to the degree conviction, is not the realization 
of the same, but connected with the subjective, 
whence life reveals their essentials by the coalescence 
of the vitality of the latter, while their logical quali- 
fication may be applied, in either case, to the theory 
in question. 

Exemplification performs the agencies similar 
to that of history. It would assume the office 
of history, but for the fact that it has become 
habitual to modify the contemplations of spiritual 
affairs subjectively, as being the hidden treasures 
at the depth of the hearts, and a certain normality has 
become a universal limit. Theories materialize some- 
times at a certain limit, and condemn the abnormal. 
The fact is, that there is no subjective uniformity 
in spiritual life and no normality in the objective 
sense, while both may meet at a point of normality 
which is termed the maximum in subjective sense; 
the objective is the infinite, and is apprehended only 
partially. It is the momental and the eternal both, 
and how could it be limited within theories? When 
the objective expansiveness of ideas realizes sub- 



H 2 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

jectively, the result is called abnormities from a limited 
theoretical standpoint, and when superstition gets 
a chance to mingle in the affairs, injuries of the 
gravest kind may be committed; crimes which 
seldom come in under the judicial laws for punish- 
ment. These were the principal objections which 
couldn't conciliate the learned Hebrews to the life 
and action of Christ, and finally caused his murder. 

Instead of trying to cut short the "abnormals," 
they might be made the objects of problems, and 
solved as such if solvable. The probable solvance 
lays not in the mysterious when it realizes subject- 
ively ; the theoretical veracity may always be found 
by a logical test. To decide them by comparison 
from traditions would be, in affairs of original nature, 
the submittance to the positive reasonable, which 
would, in affairs of entire spiritual nature, leave them 
no place on Earth. Knowledge and belief have 
no other connective than the intellectual life of man. 
The dogmatic preservance of knowledge will easily 
become a positive conservance when not idealized for 
the moment with belief, but when dogmas also estab- 
lish the limits for any further divine revelation, the 
movement of such spiritual life is backward. 

Knowledge feeds the spiritual life when not 
crystallized into the positive ; as the ideal alone, 
it qualifies for spiritual life, as the positive will wreck 
the belief lest Destiny interferes. Belief will not per- 
ceive the subjective abnormal above the altitude of the 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 143 

objective ideal which may be unlimited. The 
Canaanite woman dared to approach the person 
of Christ, while the disciples perceived the tactless 
in her mode of being and attempted to correct her 
mistake. 

Forms for belief would be uniformity of the indi- 
vidual spiritual life, which is impossible, but truths in 
theories adjust the proper course logically. An under- 
estimation of learning need not be anticipated here, as 
disqualification, when contemplating the past race of 
civilization, and comparing the success of it with the 
apparent failures, but divine enlightenment does not 
necessarily move in connection with individual learn- 
ing, while its success as a power in civilization does; 
as formerly demonstrated in this book. An individual 
spiritual life is the birthright of man, equally provided 
for as the organic life, and yet its existence is depend- 
ent on certain laws assuming a conditional impor- 
tance. Look at those ages which had to wait under 
the preliminary stage of development, and those 
times it waited for while incarnated in learning, and 
it will become apparent how the independent faction- 
ality of the past disappear in the reality of the 
present moment, while the ideal alone owns the 
future abounding in the universal cause — God. 

To define the laws for spiritual life is not the same 
as establishing the forms, but to bring the cause and 
consequences to the surface; whereas its activity or 
absence in universal life is unmistakably perceptible. 



H4 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

As the subjective, where the different elements of the 
human intellect may be distinguished, often diverges 
to extremes of opposite directions on scientific grounds 
without the possibility to establish uniformity as the 
fact, the importance of such discovery is the impor- 
tant care of the apprecious essentiality of system. 
The fact that spiritual life is system individually is not 
equivalent to spiritual independence; the individual 
may be the contribute to the objective ideal from the 
moment it conceived them as the property of belief. 
The logic of the true ideas is, then, the universality 
of the realization of them in the spiritual life which 
constitutes their relative character in a most familiar 
sense, while the dissimilarity in its subjective being 
indicates the same facts; as dissimilarities are supple- 
mental where uniformities are not. System seems 
to be formed on these principles generally. Nature 
diversifies in every form of appearance. The relative 
composition of the Congregation has been illustrated 
by the " members of the human body"; every one 
an important part differently designed for activeness, 
and the system not complete with the absence 
of either. "Congregation" means one spiritual sys- 
tem only; since the members confess one God. 
Its ethic force, though, ceases beyond its technical 
character of organization, when divided on principles 
pertaining its life issue. That is, its spiritual 
integrity as a divine executive power ceases by its 
systematic dissolution and its spiritual force reverts 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 145 

to the diverse members. Spiritual life is lodged with 
the individual where the system is indivisible, and 
the Congregation is the realization of the relative char- 
acter of all divine truths; the different members 
disappear in the whole during its executive activeness. 
A union of belief as a reality and the object of belief 
universal. The individual dissimiliarities congrega- 
ting a logical system where the different qualities are 
modified by a supplemental equality. It is suggestive 
as to the human family on intimate terms, with 
brother-love as a principle. It is a practical spiritual 
power on Earth. 

The Congregation is still the indefinite reality, with 
the same spiritual connective which constitutes a syste- 
matic relation between its members mystified as to the 
properties of action, but it lacks the material element 
for being a practical system, and its objective char- 
acter as a divine power disappeared with the absence 
of logic. When principles are brought in opposition 
to one another, the logical qualities cease to be 
present. I have no intention whatever to under- 
estimate the practical value of the many different 
congregations or churches as organizations, while 
it is important, and perhaps of common interest, to 
know that the laws governing systems of spiritual 
nature may be as insuspendible as those governing 
the systems of organic and physical nature. The 
facts that the moral laws are trespassed or ignored 
will not remove the law, when forgiveness be obtained. 



H 6 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

It is an ideal truth that "belief can remove moun- 
tains," while it does not mean to change the laws 
of gravity. The individual interest may be concen- 
trated on diverse occupation and doings within the 
limit of ability and personal responsibility, while the 
results of the united effort of many, raise the responsi- 
bilities to a proportional exponent. The different 
congregations have more or less assumed the attitude 
of a partisan character; and the difference as to some 
of them is more than technicalities; it is opposition 
from theoretical principles. Suppose each one of the 
opposing parts were charged with the divine execu- 
tive power and used it as a weapon against the 
sectional opponent, what would be the result? 
Principles against truths; hate instead of sympathy; 
the vain effort of man to tear away what was 
not invented by mortals. The nobility of religion 
in the ideal divinity is not always a guaranty in the 
adherents against diversions on the questions which 
apparently afford the most safety. The church of the 
Middle Age attempted to wield that terrible execu- 
tive weapon in a most effective material manner, 
and became transformed into a mere material organi- 
zation by it. It usurped the authority to execute 
judgments in spiritual affairs by material means. 

The Congregation with the executive authority 
is also charged with the responsibility to exercise 
judgment in righteousness with the same properties 
as the essentials of its existence: divinity, spiritual 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE H7 

freedom, and brother-love. It used to hold the 
equilibrium of right, and preserved logic. The Con- 
gregation from early Christianity reflects to our age 
some genuine glimpses of characteristic, although too 
much embarrassed with the pioneer nature of the 
situation to exhibit the whole of its life-size in an ideal 
sense ; besides, it lacked the assistance of the civilizing 
cultural powers of the times to complement its exter- 
nal aspect, and its faculties were so entirely exerted 
on the principal object, to develop, that the true 
feature of it disappears in the whirl of times, before 
it reaches the growth of manhood. Its most remark- 
able characteristic is, perhaps, the logical strength 
which as a question of the times was the apparent 
weakness, at the outset. By its logical strength fell 
the old forts, one by one. The isolated attitude 
of the Hebrew church was not a schism ; it contained 
merely some questions of traditional nature, and 
constitute the only practical passover, or connective 
between the two eras. 

Since the ideal spiritual life owns its center of 
gravity in the individual, where it realizes its active 
properties, the executive powers exercised by the 
Congregation also revert to the individual, and may 
be distinguished by particular gifts. The churches, 
as the union of many, are, of course, powers on the 
issues of their organizations, but as fractions of a sys- 
tem, neither of them could represent it as an integ- 
rity, on account of their tendencies of opposition 



148 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

which removes their logical qualities. I could furnish 
abundant of theorems for this from divine teaching, 
but they may be obtainable by any one from the 
"Holy Scripture." 

The existence of only one congregation is, then, 
an ideal reality; it couldn't realize materially without 
system, and its practical value is often underestimated 
from intolerance and prejudice, and consequently its 
faculties as a power in humanity are not present 
materially. Its importance to the ideal spiritual life 
is of individual character. Its spiritual issue always 
remain one and indivisible. 

Epochs will sometimes embarrass the conservative 
contemplation as to the logical comparisons of divine 
ideas, because those of traditional delivery might for 
periods have lived disguised under untimely forms 
or circumstances to which the new as a future value 
in the reality of the present moment, may apparently 
form the most cutting contrast. Disuse, omittance, 
opposition, and the tendency to thwart and materialize 
spiritual affairs generally paralyze its developing 
facilities as the factor of cultural times so that the 
appearance of the new may find the precedent exist- 
ence, in reaction on the verge of the common recep- 
torium. Thus, the immortal ideas lead humanity 
by being present at the right time in the proper 
forms. The new may sometimes assume the destruc- 
tive appearance, to false theories and deceptive 
tendencies of the times, from necessity; not as a con- 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 149 

sequence of its properties. The perpetuity of the 
divine ideas is not severed by the most revolutionary 
epochs; they sometimes resemble the ray of light 
when these break from a direct range into many 
different directions. 

The history of our cultural ancestry proffers many 
interesting views from our advanced standpoint. 
A desire to live the past over again is not the cause 
for reaction ; the laws of evolution produce with 
times, the alternative of motion which makes stag- 
nation an impossibility, but a materialization of the 
ideal of life transforms its character to a different 
element under the same surface of formalities; the 
infinite may become positive knowledge, and the 
spiritual, forms. The backward move during times 
of tranquil tendencies is easier than the vice versa, 
from absence of opposition ; the negative is evasive 
when not present as a part of a system. The motives 
for a reaction are imaginary, as the past leaves 
no such marks of direction contrary to laws of motion ; 
while tradition always points forward, from every 
significant juncture. Reaction may be evident as an 
imaginary maximal conservation of positive knowl- 
edge ; the positive employs exclusively the negative 
element in man, reason. As an opposition, reaction 
exercises its strength as a point of gravity, or as 
a counterweight. If not interposed by a power 
superior to its own, reaction will not stop until the 
dissolving tendencies which symptoms generally mark 



15° CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

a mature stadium, respire a natural order of things, 
or terminate a total dissolution, if an affair of cogni- 
zation. 

The individual life may seek an average measure 
in the social condition, whether this be progressive 
or reactive, as a matter of consequences; although 
much depends on the current of opinion as a direct 
influence, as well as the popularity of the contrast- 
ing fractions. The leading opinion, for instance, 
is the public expression of the general condition of 
the times, and is responsible as to the conse- 
quences of its activity, while it is not to the frac- 
tions of different opinions. Society is so closely 
connected in familiarity that minorities have to share 
the consequences of the action of the part that has 
gained popularity; that is, when under the same 
institution. The individual may be responsible in 
proportion to its chance to effect influences. In 
modern societies where the motive of action is sup- 
posed to derive from the subjects through the most 
popular opinion, the responsibilites couldn't be the 
less generally, than the influences. Corporations have 
no soul, and neither have organizations nor society. 
The exertion of activity in the public life is then 
a common individual affair, whence life of religious 
as well as social nature originates. And the conse- 
quences to either side is not the less an individual 
case. The united effort of a people or a majority 
thereof may be charged in a few leaders or represen- 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 151 

tatives, but not the moral responsibility, which would 
be too immense for a few and even for a fraction 
of it ; the individual moral capability is equal to that 
of its own intellectual capacity, while responsibilities 
are the reverse of the individual rights. The moral 
responsibility in societies is like a thousand to one, 
when Destiny has to adjust iniquities. The standard 
for civilized life generally should, then, not be sought 
in the social condition, but in the individual life. 

We have seen that the properties of spiritual life, 
whether brought forth by teaching or divine inspira- 
tion, or both in connection, is the subjective affair; 
the individual is the direct medium for the influential 
power of its origin and development under the laws 
of causes and consequences. The right apprehension 
of the proper means which are at hand in proportion 
to the general enlightenment of times, or especially 
gifted, systemizes the human intellect to an integrity ; 
while the disuse of them, erroneous ways, despise, 
and ignorance dissolves the systematic elementaries 
and reduce the individual condition in a similar 
proportion. A new series of lessons from the natural 
agencies of teaching, and perhaps also of spiritual 
character, is commenced over again, with probabili- 
ties for successful results. Thus life continually seeks 
a center of gravity by the agencies of the different 
elements of the spiritual man, and between the adop- 
tion of moral, or immoral ways. The misapprehended 
properties of belief may unbalance the spiritual life 



152 CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 

as well as the positive; reasoning alone may dislodge 
the appearance of an intellectual being. 

Why shouldn't the properties of belief attain to 
scientific qualification when they aspire to the noblest 
result of life, if not to mention their proprieties 
as factors in civilization? 

By a true analysis of the systematic connection 
of the different elements of it, we may perceive that 
universal life in neither form of appearances is not 
a vital self-being, and then responsibilities of public 
character will revert ,to whence life commences in 
activity in proportion to the rights of influence, as a 
matter of cause and consequence. 

Epochs have two principal auxiliaries for their 
progress — force and times. The ideal of them, 
when of the true nature, vivify and establish, while 
their revolutionary collateral is a consequence of the 
condition of the times. The new may count in its 
existence of reality, equally remote in the past as it 
proposes to own in the future; the difference being 
the degrees of development. The realization of the 
new is dependent of present conditions which resolves 
in removal of obstacles. Material force is generally 
a matter of detail, when such means are resorted 
to in connection with revolutionary movements; 
while the ideal itself contains the nobler means for 
progress by the assistance of times. When Providence 
deals with times — and there is no doubt but that the 
most epoch-making events and coincidence of the 



CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE 153 

different cultural results were destined by the eternal 
will of the originator, God — it makes our reasonable 
comprehension stand still, while the generation 
involved, through the centuries and periods of pre- 
liminary condition, passes review in our recollective 
knowledge with amazing figures. These incalculable 
ideal "points of contact" which cause the epochs have 
their advance guards to facilitate and prepare their 
introduction. Every tide of civilization was followed 
by a retroactive reflux, though not quite equal in 
length, and not in power, to the influctive period ; the 
difference is the result or net earnings which become 
a delivery to the coming ages. 



SECOND BOOK 

EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

In our times, there are many people who take 
great interest in the theory of equal suffrage, but 
a comparatively few of them recognize the practical 
force of it in our social life. Society, as yet, cannot 
demonstrate equal suffrage on account of its surface 
elementarity which glitters with gifts, callings, and 
refinements of various kinds, and to which are added 
as many degrees of personal possession of worldly 
goods. And on the other side we have commonness, 
apparent rudeness, desolation, and poverty toiling 
and scratching for every dollar, with presuming need 
awaiting in the future. 

But constitutional and judicial laws have under- 
taken to enforce the so-called equal suffrage as far 
as our advancement reaches ; that is, where a liberal 
apprehension in the people is the vital momentum ; 
in absence of which even the logical laws may become 
a dead letter. 

Some of us are brought up and educated to think 
in conformity with existing realities of life, and it 
may be the most easy way to contemplate things at 
their surface view only, while traditionality modifies 
the wounded moral feeling or divine belief when they 
are aroused against oppression and iniquity. 

Who has seen the spiders' web and not noticed 

i57 



15 S EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

how the big insects break through the frail weave 
to continue their flight of life unhurt, while the small 
ones were caught the victims of destruction, without 
comparing that instinctive but significant invention 
with the network of civilized laws which is the treasure 
of centuries by shrewd, skillful, and ambitious works 
of thinking mankind? 

These laws weigh on the conscience of society, and 
the more we have of them, the heavier they weigh. 
And yet we will not, and cannot, get rid of them; 
they are the modern, defensive walls around every 
city and community, as well as a protective means 
to individual rights, and while resting on the con- 
sciousness of a people who feel the responsibility 
of the burden, the imaginary liberty produced by 
a possible absence of them would probably velocify 
the speed toward destruction of organized society, 
leaving unsafety and unlimited outgrowth in their 
track. 

Some people fancy that equal suffrage, when 
strictly enforced, would be to divide the fruits 
of liberty equally; that is, to take away from those 
who possess too much of it and distribute to those 
who seem to lack the apprecious measure. I would 
call it equal suffrage when the right of the one indi- 
vidual or class shall not be injured by the liberty 
of the others. Liberty trespasses the rights of fellow- 
men easier than even tyranny would do it; because 
the former possesses nearly all the franchises of the 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 159 

natural laws in their various forms besides the modern 
advancement of times, while the latter' s preferences 
are founded on the right of the powerful ; having 
most of both divine and natural laws against it. But 
if the rights of the one shall not be injured by the 
liberty of the other, the supposed weaker classes 
should be on watch for their interests by effecting 
a powerful representation. Laws are the statutes 
of continued efforts by thoughts and experiences 
of the growing civilization. They grow out from 
the awakened needs or necessities of the very points 
or instances in life which they are made to cover. 

To write laws which own the rights of existence 
and force in the future is the work of genius, but the 
motive for such law works is not generosity nor 
mercy; it is urgent necessity. 

Lykurgos, Sparta's famous lawmaker, wrote laws 
to save Sparta and make the existence of aristocracy 
possible at the expense of its neighboring tribes of the 
same nationality or ancestry ; and at the sacrifice 
of at least five times the number of free citizens, of 
the Helots or slaves. Those laws, which undoubtedly 
contained much wisdom, might in our time, in 
a strict concrete sense, be explained in one sentence 
of American language — be good to yourself. 

If laws are brought forth by necessities, a mixed 
representation only could satisfy the idea of equal 
suffrage; for necessity may have the tendency 
of looking out for oneself only. Laws may be likened 



160 EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

to fences, and a person looks for his own interest 
when building fences around his property. 

If equal suffrage, then, means that the right of one 
class must not be ignored by the liberty of the other, 
the logical s.olvance of this question might lay in the 
practical way to let all classes and sexes be fairly 
represented, so as to take care of and watch for their 
own interests. 

Lykurgos's laws, which have been praised for their 
stable character, owe their strength in their famil- 
iarity with the national policy which made them 
possible of enforcement, because they conveyed the 
franchise of supremacy to the Spartans over every 
othei* tribe which was made subject to their con- 
quest. The elementarity in the Spartan character 
was a desire to rule, conquer, and develop, hence 
the submittance to those iron rules which at the start 
had no roots in the life-loving Hellenic element. 
The Spartans were a powerful set destined for the 
future, but Lykurgos's laws were not logical, nor 
righteous, and could not own the future; they incar- 
nated the nation in an iron case which finally caused 
its petrification and death. The thirty thousand free 
Spartan citizens who undoubtedly dreamed of ruling 
ancient Greece became so many slave-keepers over 
more than fifty times their number, and finally they 
were reduced to a life-guard for their own existence. 

There is no doubt but that Lykurgos's laws were 
the true expression of the Spartan character and 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 161 

national life at a certain juncture of its development. 
The very exigency which brought forth the necessities 
to establish a systematic rule of order, and the per- 
sonification of those necessities was Lykurgos. But 
the chief fault with the development of the Spartan 
national life was not the necessity which found their 
expressions in Lykurgos's law system to preserve 
strict sobriety by severe prohibitive rules, nor the 
decided effort to ward against introduction and mix- 
ture of foreign element; the latter was probably 
an urgent question of the times — we know some 
similar lawful provisions were made among different 
Semitic tribes to preserve strict nationality. Not 
even their tyrannical treatment of their subjects 
or conquered tribes, at this early development of their 
national existence, has the counter-weight character- 
istic of the nobler qualities of liberty, although it 
may, from a point of view of later times, be con- 
sidered the darkest spot on Spartan history. But 
when we contemplate, for instance, how the invading 
Israelites into Palestine treated the conquered tribes 
which fell before their mighty force, we may find that 
the customs of the time solve this question. 

The chief faults with the Spartan national char- 
acter seems to lay in their conservatism. Lykurgos's 
laws, which were made a fence of protection, to pre- 
serve the integrity of the nation, besides statuating 
rules for every citizen, for a systematic training for 
manliness and endurance, also contained the seed for 



162 EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

the nation's destruction. While surrounding nations 
and tribes bent to cultivating influence of times, and 
allowed themselves to' receive impressions from foreign 
culture by a constant contact with other civilized 
nations, Sparta continually for centuries kept its iron 
heel on the neck of its unhappy subjects. To be 
conquered by Sparta was to the concerned hopeless- 
ness for an indefinite future. 

Besides its customary ways of depleting those con- 
quered tribes from every means of protection, by 
tearing down the walls around their cities and burning 
or otherwise destroying their ships, it had the demoni- 
acal agility of continually watching that those unfortu- 
nate people should not grow again to strength, and 
ite endurance in that regard is so astonishing and 
revolting to ordinary humane feeling that, historically, 
it cuts the heart clean out from the Spartan nation- 
ality and characterizes them as an organization 
of demons. Its national sin, and also its punishment, 
which finally ended in national destruction, may 
doubtlessly be attributed to this, their foolhardy resist- 
ance against the natural development of times. 

On the other side is the Spartan heroism and 
famous athletic development, the bright and direct 
consequence of Lykurgos's laws, and these facilities 
kept their aristocratic conceit always at a standard. 

Sparta's production and preservance of scientific 
and artistic treasures have not given much matter 
by which to trace the nobler sides of their civil and 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 163 

spiritual character. Their habitual easy mode of pri- 
vate life was apparently not fraught with the mysteri- 
ous blessings to conceive ideas pertaining the tender 
sides of life. While Athens went through a period 
of superfluous production in literature and art, Sparta 
seems to have been hard at work exhausting its 
resources with plans and efforts to destroy all possible 
rivaling tendency of its sister state, and the wreath of 
hegemony was awarded it at the culminating point 
of its national history. 

With a modern self-governed people, individual 
rights as to classes are supposed to be vested in their 
national constitution in the same degree as the laws 
impose duties. If this is true, classification would be 
theoretically out of question. Equal suffrage would 
then contain the definition of political equal rights 
by sexes. But if you inquire among the practically 
well-informed laboring classes, for instance, they will 
reply unanimously that equal suffrage is not yet in 
force as to their political attitude. They will consider 
their standing limited to the right to vote, while they 
seem not to weigh the fact that the right to hold 
office should be a consequence. 

While this is theoretically true, their contemplation 
is practically correct ; for their social standing, which 
classifies them as laborers, has deprived them from 
the influence, if not from a suitable education which 
might be considered necessary to fit them for an office 
or for a representation in the assembly. We might 



164 EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

term it thus: The rights which are conceded them 
constitutionally may be withdrawn from them socially. 
They all have their cables fastened at the formidable 
mooring called constitution, but those who are being 
classified beyond the high measure of influence could 
not warp themselves up by it ; hence by keeping it idle 
and useless always on the bottom, they finally do not 
even recognize its real existence. 

Since equal suffrage is still a burning question 
of our times — a question which necessity calls up for 
a solvance at every opportunity — I would like to 
encourage all those who suffer from being socially put 
beyond a practical reach of the apprecious rights, with 
the suggestion : Try to represent your interests 
by your own representatives. If you doubt your 
right to do so, just hand in on the cable, and you 
will soon find out whether or not the other end 
is fastened in the constitutional mooring. If finding 
this to be correct, it would still be deceiving to think 
the social question solved thereby. To own a right 
which could be made no practical use of would offer 
but a little comfort or satisfaction. It would be 
something like owning a deposit in the bank which 
could not be actually drawn ; it might be kept there 
for a lifetime, and you might go by there every day 
and see through the windows piles of ready cash, while 
you might be thrown into urgent need for a means 
of subsistence. As to the political condition of cer- 
tain classes for whom equal suffrage is the question 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 165 

of the day, it might further be remarked that, if the 
existing order of things should be wrongfully adjusted, 
it might form a necessity of vital importance which 
should call up all those whom it might concern 
to watch for their rights, establish the condition 
wanted. It was on call of necessities that laws first 
saw light. 

THE WEIGHT OF THE LAW VS. WEALTH 

Since the constitution with a modern self-governing 
people makes no classification, causes of private 
personal character have divided society into its 
present state of condition. If society w r as divided 
into two parts in two different directions, and the 
rays of bright sunshine were continually pouring their 
light into one part while the other was left continu- 
ally in the shade, it would make a rather descriptive 
picture of classification among men. It would illus- 
trate earthly happiness and unhappiness; or the 
contrast between the joyful and the gloomy life. 
While the dividing lines, socially, are not notably 
drawn so sharply, personal influences gain their center 
of gravity by scores of means and classify themselves 
by imagined difference of degrees, one above the 
other. The most well-written laws could not throw 
them forward into equality, until their arrival on the 
brink of the grave. But good laws, and plenty 
of them, might protect the weaker classes from pos- 
sible iniquities by the stronger ones, and they might 



166 EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

prevent that the birthrights and constitutional equal- 
ity should not be stamped out with either class 
or individual. This is under present condition about 
as far as equality before the law will carry on. 
It is evident that the stronghold of our law system 
is concentrated as protection for property and other 
personal possessions of various kinds. The possessors 
of those properties have then comparatively more 
protection than the non-possessors, and this, is regarded 
necessary in order to establish safety for all emer- 
gencies. When influences thus are gained compara- 
tively with the accumulation of property and the 
latter is guarded by the stronghold of the law, it may 
be easily seen how classification is established by the 
most active and lawful mediums which keep organized 
society together. 

To whom is due the credit, or who are guilty 
of the blame for the present order of the social con- 
dition? Equality before the law is as yet an absurd- 
ity. The law and traditions are supposed to cause 
the sharpest dividing lines to be drawn between 
classes; the former concentrate its stronghold as 
defender of personal honor and property, and the 
latter create influence. Both together would, if not 
modified by divine teaching and enlightenment, build 
up insurmountable class-divisions. These thoughts 
are so well rooted in the apprehension of even the 
foremost cultured people that any considerable change 
by a forward movement may be anticipated only 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 167 

remotely. We might exemplify an instance: If two 
persons seek lawful satisfaction for injured personal 
reputation, one of them is the possessor of wealth 
and influence and the other without either of these 
apprecious circumstances. Both may have similar 
causes for their claims, but a jury would invariably 
award the greatest damage to the one of wealth and 
influence. Natural or bred injustice of thoughts may 
not be the real cause of such contemplation; our 
judicial scholars are supposed to keep at, the middle 
of the road in their line. The existing conditions 
have been drifted into by circumstances, and by the 
by, they become customary which smooths the sur- 
face and time wears off the irregular objecting and 
revolting tendencies which are the opposing and 
suffering element. Like the constant works of the 
never-ceasing surf, finally smooths the rudest cliffs 
by wearing off the irregular projections. 

While the ambitious, forward-striving individuals 
of all classes may use and seek the benefit of every 
lawful circumstance of their being, the means for 
progress socially should not be sought in the present 
circumstances of our existence. The ancient nations 
which at different periods of history made such 
strenuous moves toward the unknown which we call 
progress, and which examples we both instinctively and 
purposely seek to get a true picture of, failed and 
became lost historically, because they sought this 
means of salvation outwardly, or became fortified 



1 68 EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

in their own self by lack of interest and from a dying 
vitality. 

Liberty cannot really be established by laws. 
It is made possible by removing as many traditions 
and laws of past importance as circumstances would 
permit, so as to leave it room for a practical exist- 
ence. The danger that liberty in certain classes 
or individuals may trespass the rights of others 
is not always removed by laws; a somewhat even 
representation of all classes seems to be the required 
facilities for keeping liberty. This is what many look 
forward to and call equal suffrage. But it is not 
liberty itself. 

It cannot be kept by rules or laws, 

More than by chains and cages; 
Sometimes when tyranny triumphant thought it 
beneath its claws, 

Was it on flight and away — O, for ages! 

One of the vital points in self-government should 
be a continuous exercise toward equal suffrage ; hence, 
a condition contrary to this tendency would disqualify 
almost any people for successful self-government. 
You may argue that the equal individual constitu- 
tional rights ought to be broad enough ground for 
any kind of government. This would be true if 
equal rights contained an equal chance for practical 
life. But we note that a certain portion of citizens 
collect around their wealth and influence — both law- 
fully — which make power. This power may be used 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 169 

to considerable extent to the disadvantage of their 
less favored fellow citizens, all lawfully. If these 
should lack the proper qualification to counterclaim 
by some influences in their direction, a disastrous 
condition may be the result ; the center of gravity 
could, on the contrary, not be kept as a moral con- 
dition of affairs, and if this center of gravity is to be 
kept by the force of material law, the flexibility which 
is essential to self-government is gone, and that form 
of government may be present by name only. Aside 
from the principles of free government, the necessity 
deriving from the above mentioned state of affairs has 
brought forth the theory of equal suffrage as a remote 
but coming remedy. 

Now, as to the remedy, there might as yet be 
ground for different opinions, but it could not 
be untimely or unobtainable if it contains principally 
the logical thoughts to be on watch for the interests 
of their own — that the liberty of some should not 
trespass the rights of others. It would be less impor- 
tant to specify the different individual rights in 
a republic ; these are supposed to be lodged in the 
constitution. As a contrast to these facts, I will 
remark that some of us know enough imperatives 
of life to satisfy ourselves of their existence, in the 
midst of what we style political freedom unrestricted 
in thoughts and belief. And as to the limit of our 
individual rights, it varies as to the advancement 
of times, or contract and expand according to con- 



170 EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

templations. While a total deprivation, by class 
or individual, of those rights could not be thought 
possible under normal conditions, it is where reduced 
to the least possible, by distracting from one side 
and applying them with circumstances on the opposite 
side, that society commits the grave and inabsolvable 
fault. Responsibilities on this territory are unmistak- 
able, because it undertakes to distribute the apprecious 
consequences of liberty equally. 

To benefit the present condition, with the view 
of modifying an undercurrent tendency of trying 
to get even by means of the second power — in the 
human being — it might again be suggested most 
urgently: Try to represent your own interests 
by your own representatives. 

The equilibrium of rights is not maintained by 
a nation's law system, even when it shall have 
been subjected to a modern revision. Traditionality 
is still the backbone in almost every law system, 
while the equity of rights should be sought in the 
wide-awake comprehension of a self-conscious people 
under the influences of the stirring of times. Char- 
acteristic dissimilarities and circumstances make the 
apparent difference, nationally. Solon's laws, which 
are supposed to have been the true expression 
of a democratic Athens, guarded the individual 
integrity of every citizen, sought to provoke personal 
progress by encouraging an independent feeling which 
developed the more free and noble human faculties. 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 17 l 

We may attribute the astonishing development in arts 
and literature indirectly to the public national con- 
sciousness expressed in Solon's laws. But they could 
not revive Athens politically. The new elements 
which might have vivified their civilization were 
reactionary in the direction of aristocratism, influ- 
enced by continual agitation from its surroundings. 
And Athens finally fell in her struggle of self-defense, 
like the wild hart, which may retain a high record for 
endurance and swiftness in the race among the animal 
world, finally is overpowered by a pack of greedy 
wolves. 

The famous "Roman Rights," which may be 
rightfully styled as the cream of Oriental wisdom 
in judicial sense, is made a delivery to our times 
as a result of the modern and general study of the 
classical languages. It was adopted and brought 
up to our modern times, as an outcome from a search 
for a suitable scientific form for a needed judicial 
system. But aside from its formal usefulness and 
possible eloquence, it also transmitted to the coming 
generations the tendency of reaction. Lest some- 
body could demonstrate that conservatism is a conse- 
quence of inabilities to be equal to the exigencies 
of the times. It creates a miserable feeling to think 
that we should, for instance, feed on the production 
of nations whose reminders are in ashes or oblivion, 
and whose language is a dead letter. Still, history 
shows long periods of apparent spiritual deprivation, 



I7 3 EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

and God only has the power to move the light 
of civilization forth and back, and it is left to the 
human reasoning to investigate and try to find the 
cause for the destructive reactions or dissolving ele- 
ments which terminated the results. But it is not 
unlogical to suppose that a more or less degree 
of deserted ability in a nation's spiritual life com- 
prising many or few of the ordinary scientific 
branches; the cultural productive ability of the 
period, may be caused by a strong conservative 
tendency; to look backward. Who cares to carry 
on a struggle for treasure when he contemplates him- 
self wealthy before, lest he has turned avaricious. 

Inherited wisdom as well as traditions is necessary 
for a healthful and normal contingency of civilization 
and some of the technical branches have gained 
practical stability for indefinite length of time. But 
the danger seems to lay in the facts that whereas 
most of the inherited treasures of civilization, with 
the exception of those which are characterized as 
divine ideas, become circumstances in the real 
existence of life, and when applied as life-issues, 
it would be absurd to think that man could live them 
over again. A practical effort to do so would be to 
support on them. Our circumstances, for instance, 
may give our individual being a more or less legible 
impression, but they couldn't be made essential with 
our life. It seems to be unmistakable that some of 
the ancient people which owned the lucky share of 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 173 

being the representatives of the civilization of their 
times, through the period of their existence, which is 
notably observed to be their declining scale, threw 
the whole weight of their national existence or their 
center of gravity on their national-social circumstances. 
If these were of a less favorable sort to the condition, 
calamities followed which finally ended in a historical 
removal from the scene. 

It is true that one generation produces spiritual 
treasures for the coming one. History teaches and 
warns, but it cannot repeat itself. When it tries 
to, the times are on a backward move; it is an axiom 
that a standstill in civilization is impossible. 

Reaction is a consequence when a people omit 
to live up to, or cease to regard the principles sup- 
posed to be the problem, which solvance may be char- 
acteristic with its being or existence ; and it becomes 
a punishment when they directly or indirectly put 
to silence the defenders or advocates of those prin- 
ciples. But only the leading people perceive a calling 
specially connected with their presence, while others 
see the maximum of duty and activeness in a timely 
performance of the emergencies. 

Our general law system when applied in the real 
life with a people where the individual interests are 
alive and active to a high degree, may still resemble the 
spider's net, at the very instances where transgression 
is fraught with dangerous consequences. We know 
from practical life that the spider's net allows the big 



174 EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

insects to go through while it catches the smaller ones 
easily. It should not be misunderstood that I would 
try to represent our law system as a catch, lest 
it should contain such facility at places where 
it would prevent any one from going. The practical 
point is easily seen by those who are familiar with 
the every-day life, especially at places where the 
situation transforms into real performance; the pris- 
ons throughout this country are already too well 
attended by the unlucky subjects of our fellow-men 
who came in contact with the law. And several 
times their number may suffer as a consequence 
on account of their natural connections with the 
forager. Society develops under moral and lawful 
circumstances a tragical condition which we have 
grown so accustomed to that we shall finally regard 
it a necessary evil, unless some radical means might 
be applied to turn the tide of lawbreakers into loyal 
citizens and in the meantime not allow the big and 
influential trespassers to escape where the less favored 
ones are caught. 

It is the result of a fair consideration to say that 
the heavy weight of the law is put on the shoulders 
of the weaker classes of society, while the protective 
power is concentrated mostly about those of wealth 
and influence. The temptation to trespass is bred 
and brought forth at nearly every juncture of life with 
these less favored classes. From their very childhood 
their moral character was probably not scarcely com- 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW ^75 

menced to be formed when they, from necessity, 
were brought in contact with comrades already 
hardened in the art of evil doing. Some of them 
had to strive hard for a mere means of subsistence, 
and the thought of apprehending by illegal ways 
something to better their condition was perhaps the 
alternative, if not the principal occupation of their 
mind. And those who have families dependent 
on their abilities to earn, and probably thrown out 
of the position which only brought a scant living 
while it occupied most of his personal abilities. 
There is scarcely place for criticism when under such 
circumstances a choice between allowing the innocent 
to suffer, or deciding the risky step of trespasses 
balances equally toward either side, but the conse- 
quences of facing the law when thus caught twixt 
its claws is nearly equal to death for the unlucky one 
concerned. If one would investigate individually the 
condition of those classes supposed to be at the 
bottom of society, it might be discovered that nearly 
every utterance of their natural instinct, from child- 
hood up, is a temptation to trespass law and order. 
If this be true, the law will proceed with the rest 
of their individual self, and destroy them entirely. 
The law builds up safety for the loyal and destroys 
the trespasser. Hence the heavy weight of it rests 
on the shoulders of these unfortunate ones, and is at 
the same time their worst enemy until death finally 
relieves them. They easily notice that the law helps 



176 EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 

the more favorable classes, and why not help them, 
in some way or other? And they may lack the 
moral power of self-criticism to distinguish the real 
cause. 

It is known to many already that the law cannot 
save where it punishes; the effect of its latter per- 
formance is entirely to the contrary. It used to be 
a problem why the demoralization among prisoners 
is so general. The power of the law blunted or 
destroyed their connection with society and the appre- 
cious feeling of oneself -^ — liberty is not foremost with 
certain kinds of people. 

The parallels drawn by the constitutional right 
at the # outset, which give the impression of brother- 
hood and entire equality before the law, is here 
widened to an impassable abyss, apparently, and yet 
it can be bridged by two powers equally strong, 
perhaps, but entirely different in character and in 
ways and means; one acts free and voluntarily and 
the other imperatively. These powers are called 
brother love and death. Both and only these are 
as yet able to venture a connection across that awful 
space which opened up from necessities of social 
circumstances, and are cultivated by a keen observ- 
ance until to-day. 

Watch the ladies' aid societies, where they are 
active, and you will find they know how to enter the 
space which divides them from the unfortunate to 
whom the charitable works are principally directed, 



EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 177 

and even the doors of prison swing open on their 
sturdy hinges on suggestion of this charitable 
power, and some rays of sunshine will sometimes 
be allowed to penetrate into the gloomy lockup 
before the doors close again. 



THIRD BOOK 

FREEDOM OF FORM 



A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE LITERARY CONDITION OF THE 
PRESENT AND TENDENCIES FOR THE FUTURE 



CHAPTER I 

Most of our literary productions of a later period, 
comprising the present time, have entered into one 
even tranquil gauge where it flows monotonous and 
noiselessly across the immense plain of times carrying 
on its surface the entire contents of thoughts mostly 
in a finish of minute regularity which mingle into 
a compound with the substance of sweet and pleasing 
mixture of ability and fancy as it more and more 
contracts into a narrow space between the imaginary 
high tone facilities of life and an universally measured 
reality. It is impossible to assert at what rate 
of speed this current flows; for where one perceives 
swiftness to satisfaction, another may contemplate 
stagnation, or even movements contrary to the laws 
of motion, which, if true, would indicate a serious 
record when compared with other branches of the 
civilization of the times. When any one has tried 
to bridge the above mentioned extremities, it was 
done at the risk of the existence of the author, and 
the succeeding representatives hesitated and shunned 
to enter into the predecessor's track; especially when 
the latter's wrecked effort still remained in fresh 
memory. Is this condition caused by the writers* 
faults or inabilities? There are no technical grounds 
present to prove, neither; the popular tendencies will 

181 



182 FREEDOM OF FORM 

generally fix the writers' sight and practically deter- 
mine their direction by the use or disuse of their 
productions. The taste of the time will thus become 
the leading momentum, and the writers have the 
choice to follow where they may have the opportu- 
nity to please, or else, perhaps, read their own doom 
in a blackmailing expression, which, though, thanks 
to destiny, is not always equal to oblivion. 

If the public was thus exercising a criticising 
authority, it would be entitled to its leading attitude, 
but fact shows that this is not the case, for criticism, 
when properly administered, throws light and shows 
the possible fault as well as the preferences, and the 
authors and artists will, by its action, receive a health- 
ful and natural assistance from the people which they 
are entitled to as a spiritual compensation, since 
an understood connection between them is supposed 
to be always in evidence. But criticism, in its natural 
course, never kills, or else authors and artists would 
be independent- creatures capable of an existence 
against all odds, without connection with the people 
they represent ; or how could the people deign to kill 
a part of its own ; the foremost and apprecious part ! 

Others may have the authority to determine 
whether or not we should readopt the ways which 
have been trodden and even paved by the times 
which have passed by. As life will always assume 
forms at the best of convenience, it will depend on 
the present qualities and abilities for progress, while 



FREEDOM OF FORM 183 

revival of ideas may be progress at the same time. 
New thoughts may sometimes clothe in old forms and 
yet appear as original as on their morn of creation ; 
and on the contrary, ideas of long standing may 
revive in new forms and retain their original qualities. 

Some people shudder at the smoking battlefield 
when the force of power has withdrawn to give place 
to its relaxation into the ghostly stillness which 
partly and gradually transform into the stillness 
of death. The material sacrifice thus sustained may 
be of a mere momentary character; as nature through 
its facilitating continuation of life is ready to restore 
the damage, but the spiritual desolation following the 
absence of leaders in the ideal life, which generally 
comes as consequences of the people eliminating from 
them the liberty to act from the virtue of the impul- 
sive power which may be characteristic and original 
with them from the laws of order, is a far more 
dreadful condition than the one formerly mentioned. 
It is the haughty spirit of times that in view of the 
magnificent material success which is merely periodical 
affairs, becomes materialized and centralize nearly all 
their interest and desire for happiness of life on 
material grounds, with religion as a future, but 
certain rendezvous to fall back on. 

The blessings of civilization may easily transform 
into a divinification of the circumstances of life and 
people grow habitual in the indulgence of them, and 
to fear them above anything else for the sake of evad- 



184 FREEDOM OF FORM 

ing coming in an opposition to the tendency, and 
some make sacrifices of what may be essential to life 
itself as a spiritual being. A periodical downhill run 
or speedy development of material success may be 
easily participated in, while the same may not contain 
the genuine progress which earns for the coming 
generations, but is really the consequence of a time 
when they were obliged to fight their way foot 
by foot , day by day, and look carefully from one 
year to another. 

In a practical way it might seem only proper that 
the people lead the current of times, as it might indi- 
cate a high degree of common culture (I have no par- 
ticular reference here to the political life where the 
people govern themselves and assume the responsi- 
bilities), but when the people generally grow careless 
as to the leading power in spiritual life, it indicates 
an exhausting absence of fear for the superior power 
of destiny, which condition may prove serious at any 
period of future. When the people say to their 
preachers, " Preach for yourselves," and to its teach- 
ers, "Teach yourselves," and to the prophets, 
"Prophesy for yourselves," then the end will come. 

The scenial performances at the present in one 
of our great cities, renown from the past as to learn- 
ing and scientific qualities, is mostly reduced to scan- 
dals and absurdities devoid of all artistic and 
representative qualification worthy of the civilization 
of the times, but the people go there to laugh and 



FREEDOM OF FORM 185 

enjoy and thus lead the poor wrecked actors into 
scandals and rascality without hope as to their future 
of any artistic production worthy of the dignity 
of civilized mankind. Their performances become 
simply a promotion of scandals and slander, and their 
mimic, monkey-works. The spiritual part of it, which 
should produce and keep art alive, has yielded to 
the material part and it grows to be a matter of 
paying business only. If the people would exercise 
its nobler facilities for a fair and righteous criticism, 
it would, in consequence of the moral power and 
relation to every spiritual faculty of life containing 
a living feature, help them to a representative atti- 
tude as a minimum. 

Publishers are generally led by the people on 
account of material investment, and risk pending 
success resulting to their business; the leading ones, 
though, have always obtained the foremost success 
by being able to shape the circumstances by the facili- 
tating power of the proper moment which may receive 
the impulsive motive from themselves or others. 
The people understand, as it is a part in the affair, 
and the situation is carried. While the reverse order 
of things becomes the reality when the people shall 
determine beforehand what is wanted and not wanted, 
and finally nobody would dare to exercise the freedom 
of spirit in either inspiring or admonishing manner, 
and the declining road toward destruction would 
be entered upon. 



186 FREEDOM OF FORM 

The press, which formerly was declared free to all 
the world, is to-day, perhaps, more bound than any 
other medium of civilization, and from necessity, if 
we look only to the business part of the institution. 
Man will always fear the most popular power in his 
apprehension whether such power belong to this world 
of matter or the eternal world of spirit, and the con- 
viction that sacrifices may be scarcer than we are 
ready to admit; while sacrifices as a choice between 
the true and false are becoming mostly a deceptive 
fata morgana. 

In a discussion as to the propriety of the different 
literacy forms in practical appliance to the present 
times, an editor of one of our metropolitan magazines 
declared that "any matter in the form of poetry 
would not be considered favorable for his paper." 
Now, whereas it could not be expected to find a poet 
behind every editorial pair of spectacles, and neither 
in the average publisher, the condition was plain 
enough as to his personal opinion, but how about the 
public? Did that man make a justifying distinction 
between one of the most civilized people of the times 
and the islander inhabiting the Pacific Ocean? 
Hardly, except for the characteristics of the different 
language. The question may be more easily solved 
if we investigate whether or not life generally or with 
the diverse nationalities particularly contains all prose, 
or prose and poetry both. Why should the American 
people in its spiritual characteristic of the Anglo- 



FREEDOM OF FORM 187 

Saxon language be more devoid of poetry than those 
retaining the original of that language on the other 
side the Atlantic Ocean? It couldn't be on account 
of the stepmotherly conditions of the country 
or other natural circumstances tending to make life 
a monotonous gloom which only knows one channel 
through which to breathe out its joys and sorrows; 
only one form to clothe its spiritual decency into — 
the prose and nothing else. One instance, the one 
alluded to couldn't establish the conditions, but 
a tendency prevalent in the eastern part of this 
country seems to bend the literary circles of that 
portion all one way to a persistency of a "boycott." 
It is not a tendency of the times, nor an onslaught 
of practical Americanism, neither a particular direc- 
tion of future propriety, but it is a punishment for 
formerly committed wrongs against those who may 
have been called to watch for the right display of the 
diverse spiritual facilities bestowed and originated 
by the eternal God who invented continuation of life 
in diversification of the multitude, and permitted 
civilization generally to appear in more than the one 
garb — monotony. 

In my opinion, there is no doubt but that the 
American people, as well as any other cultured nation, 
is bent for poetry wherever life be allowed to develop 
the spiritual facilities through the natural and unadul- 
tered contemplation of what is real and worthy to the 
human race. The production of diverse kinds 



1 88 FREEDOM OF FORM 

realized through the calling of different individuals, 
whether of artistic or scientific nature, may be a char- 
acteristic of the people itself or a representation of its 
spiritual properties, and there is no cause for alarm 
that there will come too many of such persons. 
It would not be well if the condition was exclusively 
joining by the entire humanity in the chase for wealth, 
although a limited quantity of it may be understood 
with all to satisfy certain imperative demands as to 
the comfort and happiness of life, while the philoso- 
phers are capable of showing that values in different 
degrees are present in the production of the spiritual 
nature as well as material, from the noble metal to the 
insignificant but useful article. And if the people 
at large should turn poetical, what harm could 
it cause as long as there are plenty of the prosaic 
appearances, perhaps more than enough to counter- 
weigh the former, and it is characteristic by the 
fact that poetry never grew habitual with any 
human being. On the contrary, the difficulties con- 
taining the reverse side of life generally involving the 
adversities of common nature, discount every virtue 
so far manifested, to keep a center of gravity. 

It is an easy matter for a few favored to exert 
a negative power for bucking the efforts which should 
reach out over the present or extend beyond the 
narrow sphere to which they may have limited their 
measured ways and contemplation, but the life behind 
the curtains has a claim to our attention as well, 



FREEDOM OF FORM 189 

if we are in earnest to try to fulfill our calling and 
do it in conformity with the requirement of times and 
the will of God. 

If a standard condition of life was demonstrated 
by the standard of civilization of the times, then the 
genuine attitude was being obtained as a maximum 
and appearances of minor importance to the whole, 
would constitute a branchial multitude of irregu- 
larities of a haphazard origin, leaving their causes 
on the verge of conjectures between Destiny, chance, 
and the free effort of man ; while they, as condition, 
being favorable or disqualifying, might exert toward 
and receive influences from the principal leading 
standard condition once obtained. But the whole 
of it would lack the qualification of system solvable 
by thoughts and philosophy. It would be more 
chaos than system on account of the contradictory 
appearances of the many different conditions of life. 
But the whole of life, when clothed in the advanced 
civilization, cannot be chaos if we believe in Destiny's 
guiding power and provident foreseen, and yet reality 
forces upon us the fact that practically the result 
of an investigation will lead to the discovery of con- 
tradictions in nearly every branch of it ; the individual 
interest and contemplations, as well as that of the 
different classes, intercept and cross, each other, if not 
in direct opposition, at almost any juncture of practi- 
cal life. Then the leading impulse cannot come from 
the people at large (which should not be misunder- 



190 FREEDOM OF FORM 

stood with the condition of order when the people 
exercise the sovereign rights and power of govern- 
ment), for the people at the very best of efforts might 
be at a loss as to the proper choice of the leading 
current of the times, if otherwise the different 
opinions could agree on one; even the most impor- 
tant questions of spiritual life are taught and believed 
differently, and theories are established as truths 
without being tested by their logical qualities. Yet 
the people, when awake, may seek eagerly to obtain 
the truth, and sincerely wish and work for being 
on the right side ; remembering those who have 
brought the precious sacrifices for the maintenance 
of what they contemplated the truth. 

Then the leading impulse to all spiritual life must 
originate from without man, which would principally 
disclose the fact that God is the leading power as 
well as the originating in the spiritual realm among 
mankind ; that is, when truth realizes through the 
apprehension of man, and thus inspiration and talent 
becomes the medium of authority or exponent means. 

The different styles of forms as the expression 
of thoughts are not the ideal part, as to the choice 
of either; it is the practical detail offered by the 
different characteristic, as, for instance, the dissimi- 
larities of language do not become a hindrance, for 
diversifying the forms and expression of the same 
ideas, to those being particularly familiar with either; 
while one person may be master of several languages, 



FREEDOM OF FORM 19 1 

he may not be the master to express equally well in all 
of them. 

Music, for instance, is a well-established and popu- 
lar art, and perhaps the highest degree of scientific 
poetry. If a tendency of times would try to enforce 
a connection of the scales of tones with a text 
of prose, it would be considered barbaric throughout 
the artistic world, and it might not yield to an opposite 
leading tendency from the people. But as a matter 
of consequence we will arrive at the same point 
if they shall be allowed to boycott the writers who 
may find it convenient to prefer that particular form 
of poetry. Those publishers who may not possess 
the qualification of a literary turn of mind, or couldn't 
take the pains to regard different talents and gifts with 
the different authors, practically yield their callings 
to indifference. 

Poetry generally conceals the essence of thoughts 
under a more or less transparent cover. Music 
expresses to the soul thoughts without words, but 
they are understood, because there is an equivalent 
facility present with the audience, more or less appar- 
ent, as to the different individuals, but always a nat- 
ural characteristic. Both organic and physical nature 
contain poetry, even through their silent appearance. 
Who would think it proper to tear away and trample 
under foot the flowers and lilies which grow among 
the grass, because they could not transform into the 
kernels which constitute the useful stuff for food and 



19 2 FREEDOM OF FORM 

contain a value in money's worth, while in their nat- 
ural capacities they may be destined for making some 
important suggestions to the human soul, the master- 
piece of creation? 

If nature, in the lower classes of creation, produces 
poetry, why not, then, the human spirit be allowed 
to? In the affirmative, the people is wrong when 
it boycotts the poet for the sake of his poetry. 

It is a fancy of ease to put the contents of thoughts 
in literary production all on the surface. This must 
be the cause why the taste of the times is growing 
prosaic; it is different with the character of speech, 
when the expression of delivery and reception 
of thoughts are instantaneous and momental. But 
in writing it is not the most cultivating to the mind 
to lay the entire contents of thoughts on the surface. 
If done purposely, it is a strong underestimation of 
the abilities of the readers, and it limits their thinking 
within a contracted measure, while it obstructs their, 
range of possible imagination. Prose in that easy 
style makes the contents ready to devour in a moment 
and the readers ready for the next, and when it grows 
to a habit or tendency marked enough to lock out 
the forms of poetry, it may be the consequences 
of a general misapprehension of the literary freedom 
with the poets, which reverts back on the people in the 
form of stupefaction. It was in this nature of the 
subject I formerly alluded to the publisher of Harper' s 
Weekly in his anti-poetism, that he did not seem to make 



FREEDOM OF FORM 193 

a justified distinction between a leading civilized peo- 
ple and the barbarian islander, whom almost anybody 
can lead that is shrewd enough to conceal the truth. 

Since a monotonous form in literature is not 
natural, the modern tendency of it cannot transform 
the particularly bent portion of the people to a prosaic 
character; it may to a certain extent form the laws 
of influence, as one particular faculty of the human 
soul may be developed at the expense of another, but 
those retaining their poetical facilities are then driven 
to reaction; to seek a suitable form for their desires 
from the ages of the past. In fact it is mostly those 
that keep poetry a living reality when the poets 
of the times are forced to the forms of prose, or else 
it might long ago have been exterminated from 
modern literature. 

The conservatism of the churches has thus earned 
the credit of saving much genuine poetry from van- 
dalism, and this has gradually afforded a forward 
impulse to a steady development of the art of music. 

History has not yet, throughout its record of the 
human race, observed any period when talents and 
genius were too plentifully represented, and that may 
be used as a safe conjecture for the future also. 
It is true that a practical turn of mind generally will 
discount from the poetic side of life and establish 
realities as the maximum, but reality is hard to arrive 
at as an average measure and a leading tendency 
at the same time, except, perhaps, theoretically. 



194 FREEDOM OF FORM 

And why should reality contain only prose when 
nature, as we have formerly seen, is not devoid 
of poetry? ' The cold and stormy winter transforms 
into the mild, lovely spring, etc. The child that 
weeps to-day may laugh to-morrow, with equally true 
ground for either, to satisfy the condition; 

When fiction tries to illustrate the poetry of life 
in the clothes of prose, it is seldom striking at the 
reality, but for the exception of a certain realistic 
direction, if it aims at reality alone in either of the 
countless varieties of life, it runs too much risk of fall- 
ing in unpopularity, which is another proof for the 
leading power of the taste and fancy of the times; 
and if it seek to follow an average normality, which 
is the general tendency of the present times, it will 
cease to be true in proportion to what it diverges 
from reality, because the average normality of life 
may not as yet have been found, and an ideal maxi- 
mum, if sought, might partake but a fractional 
portion of humanity and of life in its true appearance 
as the leading power of civilization. When those 
who shall have been taught from the two latter direc- 
tions shall try to facilitate life in conformity with the 
teaching, they will stumble over realities which they 
are not the master of, and if these unforeseen obstruc- 
tions become frequent, they will soon throw the 
whole teaching overboard. There will always be run 
a more or less risk of foundering when the life 
measure is bound in the material side of it. 



FREEDOM OF FORM 195 

To establish rules for forms would be difficult, 
even from the leading attitude of authority; to estab- 
lish the supposed proper ones, might lock out others 
that perhaps would facilitate a successful effort for 
certain talented characters. But the choice by author- 
ity seems to have more right to lead in these affairs 
than have the fancy of the times. Public fancy may 
grow tyrannical if it is allowed to work mechanically 
when it tears away, in its wild run, authority in the 
capacities of both writers and publishers; while the 
public may always retain the leading tendency as to 
the direction and weight of popularity. Although the 
genuine is not always the most popular in either 
essence or forms. As Prof. McCallen used to say 
when he suggested sobriety to his scholars: "It is 
not always the best ideas that laugh." 

The ideal of any genuine spiritual production 
should be accredited with a leading quality from its 
divine origin. The ethic contents is of divine char- 
acter, and is always of whatever nature, the offspring 
of the ideal. Our religious theories are only slices 
which have been cut loose by a fair consideration and 
selection of the brightest and clearest revelation 
of the truth by inspiration and gradually formed into 
dogmas and systems, while the wear of times and 
vandalism have exterminated the other; may be those 
were to a certain degree the scum it set off during the 
passing test of different contemplation and trials 
of the ages of its existence. The new which were 



19 6 FREEDOM OF FORM 

gradually introduced and adopted were enforced 
by the mighty hand of Destiny, which shows that the 
leading motive in all spiritual appearances or produc- 
tions originates without man, through certain persons 
whose capacities are always matched to the essence 
and character of it, for its realization. The technical 
parts are natural, and belong to man, and are facili- 
tated through talents, gifts, and genius. People 
generally are inclined to contemplate the genuine 
from its distinctive side of popularity, which often 
will become the misgiving point, as these character- 
istics will not always coincide in spiritual affairs. 
But popularity has its strength at all times by the 
alliance of almost every pleasant material preference, 
and its immense influencing power will easily assume 
the attitude, instead of the leading authority of God, 
even ; or in concurrence with that impulsive motive 
which leads systematically the principal currents 
of civilization. It is logical that the spiritual God 
should rule in the spiritual realm. Life without the 
leading guidance of Destiny would be chaos, and con- 
tradiction would issue from every adversity in the 
human life which could not readily be accounted 
for. Some Christians are inclined to disqualify the 
spiritual character of everything that appears outside 
the Holy Bible, and it is generally caused, where 
superstition is not present, by the fancied anticipation 
that something of a particular forcible character is 
especially connected with the inspiration of truths. 



■■■ 



FREEDOM OF FORM 197 

It is correct that truths own the force to an impera- 
tive degree ; but they will perhaps not establish with 
the force which seems to be generally anticipated, 
on account of their spiritual nature. Their appear- 
ance looks like a choice between the acceptance of their 
apprecious properties and the consequences of their 
rejection. And there is literature besides the Holy 
Bible, church creeds, and theological canons that 
possesses such qualities. Homer, for instance, facili- 
tated a high grade of cultural life, with a strong, 
though heathen, morality, by the ethics of his poetry. 
The true morality was revealed by him under the 
disguise of imaginary causes; while that disguise yet 
concealed the spiritual truth with the true cause. 
But the Greek people never grew beyond his authority, 
with all their fanciful arts and science and powerful 
national life generally. 

The flexibility of language expands and contracts 
in proportion to the meager or profuse presence 
of spiritual life, and it is a very doubtful question 
if it will reach the higher development in the form 
of prose alone. It may, through certain personalities 
that are especially gifted in that particular way 
of expression, and talented minds might come in 
future capable of developing, the forms to an extent 
not yet on record. Judging from the numerous 
popular writers of the past, whose works are still 
in our possession in different languages, it is easy 
to note that a well-expressive and smoothly finished 



I9 8 FREEDOM OF FORM 

form of prose may run through comparatively narrow 
spaces of wording, while the lifeful currents of thoughts 
in poetry will hardly find room enough for their free 
run of expression, in otherwise well-developed lan- 
guages. It is a question which learned philologers 
may solve whether either of the classic languages had 
attained a higher degree of development than the 
most cultured modern ones have at the present. The 
difficulty of translating some classical originals and 
retain their entire characteristics seems not to derive 
from the richness of expression in the classic text, 
but in the difficulty of assuming the peculiar original 
life-activity of the situation. The spirit cannot 
be retained by forms, and a true translation of any 
dead language, and a proper and substantial convey- 
ance of ancient life through languages still spoken, 
depends a good deal on the translator's or reader's 
ability to vivify the spirit of the author with that 
of his own. These facts will indicate that form 
of expression should not be subject to fashion 
or tendencies of periodical stability; for life, as to the 
contents, must have freedom to assume the most 
natural form to facilitate the true characteristic. 
If talent and genius are not qualified for the leading 
authority, the public will bind them over to the 
coming generation, and in the mean time lead, by the 
tendencies which may have gained the fancy of popu- 
larity, or the true merit of popularity. Popular 
opinion is the great commutating means for leading 



— ■ 



FREEDOM OF FORM 199 

thoughts and ideas of almost any nature, and in an 
equal degree the retroactive medium for reaction, if the 
wheel of times ever become reversed; it increases the 
speed of the leading spiritual movement either way. 
Hence it lacks the quality of authority in spiritual 
affairs, but when it renders judgment in political 
affairs, it is popularly the highest instance for an 
appeal of opinion. Though the power of opinion 
may be alike as to the consequences in public affairs 
of any nature, it is entitled to the dominating attitude 
in all political life on account of the freedom of opin- 
ion. And freedom of action involves responsibilities 
as a consequence. Public opinion appears to be author- 
ity where it is the highest instance for decisions, and 
it practically concludes questions of immense impor- 
tance to national life and to civilization at large, and 
sometimes even determine the destiny of the age 
as well as the future of the different people ; but the 
fact that it reverses its opinion at almost any unfore- 
seen emergency, eliminates the quality of authority, 
logically. 

We have seen that nature diversifies in the multi- 
tudes both in the world of the matter and in that 
of thoughts. To monopolize thoughts, as well 
as forms, would be in opposition to eternally estab- 
lished laws, and it would wipe out all individual integ- 
rity. The logical is system, not monotony. The 
value of forms disappears for that of the contents, and 
yet the importance of its self-assuming freedom is not 



200 FREEDOM OF FORM 

a matter of fancy, which limit would be a practical 
absurdity. 

Whereas, there seems to be no danger that the 
poets should grow too plentiful, an evident fear for 
the people largely turning too poetical is as yet quite 
unfounded. The pessimistic school may rest assured 
on that point. But those who have got in the habit 
of dragging poetry in the dust, outrage a certain 
spiritual qualification which may be naturally a happy 
circumstance with mankind generally. 

Let them drink the nectar of life wherever it flows, 
in turn with the grumsy mixture which fills up the 
human mind to vanity and failure of the good 
purposes. 

Authority by talents and genius is not a domi- 
nating execution of power; it is a representation 
of some natural facilities of the human race originally 
with life in its awake activity. It invites the support 
of the general opinion through sympathy, patronage, 
and criticism, which are the natural means of connec- 
tion in all spiritual life between promoter and public. 
The importance of the issue involved might be largely 
in favor of the latter; otherwise the entire affair 
would be speculative matter only. Criticism is gener- 
ally a dreaded weapon in the hands of the people, 
because it is apt to destroy popularity as easily as it is 
capable of establishing popularity ; but the people have 
got the right to execute judgment that way, and it is 
proper; as it is a part in the affair. But if it at the 



FREEDOM OF FORM 201 

same time assumes the leading attitude as to the 
direction or tendency, it breaks the stick over author- 
ity and carries on both the leading and criticising 
sides — that is, the condition excludes all leadership. 

The expansion of personal liberty is practically 
concentrated in material life, and it is more or less 
limited within organized society by laws and regula- 
tions; while the spiritual man is subject to the power 
of his own conviction. The happy effect of contem- 
plated freedom may be coincident with the conviction 
of right, whether one's being is practically a leading 
attitude or not. There are very few of enlightened 
people who doubt that a leading power reigns above 
all mortals. The leading interference of Destiny is 
a popular contemplation of the truth in modified 
form ; but it will easily transpose the principles of life 
to the sole nature of human origin; and then these 
will retain their qualification of power or force in pro- 
portion to the real standing of the authority con- 
cerned, while their ideal and divine character becomes 
a matter of contemplation. 

When the leading publishers in our modern cities 
don't dare to publish a non-sectarian book on account 
of its religious contents, because they fear that the pub- 
lic will inflict punishment on them in form of a material 
loss, where are our moral principles; or where will 
you seek the influence of authority — inasmuch as 
a majority of the American people confesses their 
faith to the Christian religion? Scientific literature 



202 FREEDOM OF FORM 

may pull through to a certain extent on account of 
a minority of our people making sacrificing efforts 
to support such literature. The action of the pub- 
lishers may not be a matter of their personal opinion 
or taste, but they record the true condition through 
their business part of it, and that shows they are only 
partly the masters of the situation. This may show 
the dominating tendency of almost any direction that 
has the power of the taste of the times; while the 
absence # of sound criticism will only velocify the blind 
run toward oblivion. 



CHAPTER II 

Once when Col. W. J. Bryan had sent a copy 
of his new book to his opponent for the presidential 
candidacy, President McKinley, the latter, when 
Colonel Bryan called on him to congratulate him 
upon his success, made the courteous remark that the 
situation had not allowed him time to read his book. 
Colonel Bryan answered: "There is no law that 
compels you to read it." Such thoughts as the fact 
may be dominant with authors as well as publishers 
and fix their opinion to directions where it can please 
and gain the side of popularity; they are tempted 
to take their suggestive measures by the fact that 
people are at their liberty to patronize their product 
or leave it alone. 

The public, in following its taste, is simply exer- 
cising its several individual liberty. But the con- 
dition will leave out any question of calling, by 
authority, and as a consequence all moral responsi- 
bility as to the divinity of the impulsive spirit of the 
production. 

From these points of view, it may be perceived 
how difficult it is to find a people's moral self-con- 
sciousness by the effort of man alone. How can the 
power of man then be the impulsive motive for 
spiritual life? The practical facilitating ability may 

203 



204 FREEDOM OF FORM 

vary as to the different means of commutation. 
The power of the spoken words may be more con- 
venient for immediate influence than are thoughts 
in writing, while the latter may possess preferred 
qualifications in other directions ; but either are next 
to the impossible as a measure of influence, or the 
exponent of a leading cause without authority as the 
spiritual medium of the impulsive motive through 
especially gifted individuals. 

It is a risky effort to try to "get even" with the 
leaders of the people, except by making use of the 
suggestive thoughts which may contain principally 
the essence of their life-works. To maintain a sincere 
criticism, which is the proper means of exchange 
of understanding, will establish a natural connection 
of spirit ; at the same time as it signifies an awake 
'condition. 

Authority by talent or gifts is not supposed to inter- 
fere with the integrity of the several individuals in 
private life, but the most important principles of our 
being may be closely relative and abound commonly in 
the idea involving the existence of the human race, and 
the importance of their apprecious character may be 
nearly equal to any one; inasmuch as everybody likes 
to be in the right. The individual liberty is nearest 
to hazard when people diverge from the truth. 
Political freedom will hardly be questioned here; for 
this is generally qualified by law, while the unwritten 
laws in life may be legion, most of which could 



FREEDOM OF FORM 205 

never be materialized in form on account of the 
multiple of diversifications of human characteristics. 
Bat the ideals of life is more or less common to all, 
and are of divine nature, both as to their origin and 
perpetuity, and those diversities which appear con- 
trasting in the individual are disappearing details 
in the great common all, where God rules. 

Experiences show to most anybody that a current 
of incidental trifles make up a great portion of one's 
life; it also shows that some of these were so closely 
connected with our being as circumstances, that if it 
was possible to reach back to that of the past and 
reverse a few apparently insignificant incidents, one 
could almost figure out an entire different turn of the 
events which, though as matter of the past, are 
unreversible. 

If destiny thus subdivide the appearances of cir- 
cumstances and connections in life into trifles, there 
is no real excuse, when contemplating possible adver- 
sities, that one's ways were barren by immensities, 
although even this may happen frequently if mingling 
and meddling with severities of life and undertakings. 
But the trifles of the circumstances seem to appeal 
constantly to our sensitive being or to reason for 
attention ; and man is thus to a certain extent made 
the master of the exigencies on the even road of the 
material world, while the ideal of life, whether 
of spiritual or material nature, contains an imperative 
force as laws and principles in a degree that if life, 



206 FREEDOM OF FORM 

being brought in opposition to them, the result might 
become a failure; an impossibility logically; the 
same as to attempt to turn the river in opposition to 
the laws of gravity. This indicates to a degree of 
certainty that the majesty of God is invariably the 
life-motive of activity in the spiritual world as he is the 
cause for the physical and organic appearances in the 
material world. The most popular opinions could 
then not establish permanently leading theories in 
opposition to the truth; and the works of different 
opposite opinions might be regarded as search for 
truths until the favorable moment of development 
would reveal the real nature of the conditions sought. 

The popular will of the people may be the voice 
of God, and it may not be; if there is no leading 
authority, or this turn away from the right way and 
divine calling, then an opposite direction containing 
the truth may inspire the people to find their way out 
to safety by virtue of the same impulse that invoked 
the leading motive with a few particular persons 
as the exponents of the object in question. 

The greatest leaders on record have risen from the 
people during critical occasions in innumerable in- 
stances, and in all of them the popular voice of the 
people was the judge of the situation, whether able to 
discern the right solvance of the problem or not. 
But it was always considered a bad sign when the 
popular opinion was brought in opposition to the 
natural leaders of the people. The Hebrews, for 



FREEDOM OF FORM 207 

instance, when stoning their prophets and assassinat- 
ing Christ, velocified thereby their run toward national 
destruction, while the Greek and Roman people, 
especially during the early period of their cultural 
existence, were anxious to retain the authority of their 
talented leaders, which fact is an evidence for how 
keen moral sense those ancient people possessed. 

If the ideal as to the nobility and higher destina- 
tion of humanity had been absent, or its divinity 
materialized and reduced to an instinctive being 
of merely animated superiority, a facility might have 
been present for entire individual independence; 
as to each one having the peculiarity to exist and 
prosper without the interference and mental influence 
of the other. But in presence of the lucky condition 
of reality, mankind is destined for an existence that 
involves systems of the most delicate nature, because 
they don't work mechanically, but is based on under- 
standing and the power of the will and self-control by 
an intellectual soul. 

Not to be understood that a presumption different 
from the original divine plan for the existence of the 
human race would supersede to suit reality, but the 
contrasts referred, might serve to show where the 
trends lay — that the divine ideal about man is funda- 
mentally established and magnificently systemized. 

But humanity habitually works in opposition to the 
divine plan, and terminate figuratively expressed ; 
when it takes destiny in its own hand, an alternative 



208 FREEDOM OF FORM 

more or less apparent as to life's prominence, between 
adversities and success. 

By omitting to note or care for the trifles by which 
the facilitating power and ability of man is concen- 
trated to influence the circumstances which would 
terminate into widely different result, he sometimes 
fixes his attention on the appearance which may 
be retained in the leading hands of destiny by the 
majesty of God. We note from experience the 
unchangeable nature of most of the perpetual laws in 
physical-material nature ; these testify to a superiority 
of power where man is not admitted to meddle. 
And from those, a reasonable conjecture pointing 
toward the spiritual world indicating similar super- 
humanly existing laws which cannot be demonstrated 
reasonably alone, as the material and physical ones, 
but which actions are not the less real and powerful. 

From the above it may be perceived that man 
is not destined to face the immensities of life by his 
own exertions. A thousand and more or less of trifles 
too apparently insignificant to draw attention might 
lay between a certain human individual and the object 
of its attractions, which, if attended to with zeal and 
candor, would shape the entire life for success, while 
an exhausting effort with the means inadequate 
as to the facilitating measure, and overlooking the 
former, might conclude the directly opposite. 

The popular leading tendency in a certain direction 
absorbs from life, in its necessary diversities, more 



FREEDOM OF FORM 209 

than prominence and attraction ; it draws a good deal 
of ''common sense" and changes the general contem- 
plations from the real to the imaginary. That 
is, popularity possesses the same magnetic power 
on the aimless road of diversions as it does in its 
virtual capacity of promotion of the good causes. 
Hence the universally exhibited effort by nearly every 
spiritual movement throughout the history of civili- 
zation, to capture and to sail that easily manipulated 
never certain craft. Let us see, how many hundred 
years did Christianity work, and how many human 
sacrifices did it make before it captured that craft? 
If you ask a prominent publisher to-day to publish 
a book on some religious subject, he may tell you 
frankly: "Sorry to say, but we could not at the 
present place it on the book market at a profit." 

His opinion is rendered without any meditation 
of inspecting the contents. It reminds you of the 
astonishing great number of churches in that and that 
city, and you may hunt for an understanding in order 
to retain consequence; while your logical apprehen- 
sion may not be shaken by the real order of the 
condition — logic established without popularity. 

They want the poet to be quiet 

While any one through busy matter rushes 
To reach prosperity at like remote as imaginary height 

While happiness, if weak, beneath their races crushes 
Then, living words fly free and light 
From valley and from mountain height! 
Times to come, though, will surely have to borrow; 
If wasting the thoughts that are prepared for to-morrow. 



210 FREEDOM OF FORM 

The nature of spiritual life is supposed to be closely- 
relative in its diverse and different representatives 
or exponent and it owns its bearers from the most 
self-sacrificing situation to the intimate brother-love. 
The concurrent competition is materialism that mixes 
in with it from tradition or from the constant influ- 
ence of the times and surroundings. Its material 
value may be dependent on its popular attitude, 
while its stage of unpopularity must enforce an exist- 
ence at a sacrifice on the same or similar issues which 
may reap a rich harvest in connection with popularity. 
The philosophers cari show by proof that production 
of the spirit contains values to a degree of astonishing 
figures; but the essence of it claims the possessors 
to an extent of duty, whether any compensation 
in material value comes in or not. This may furnish 
a substantial indication for the relative character of all 
true spiritual properties, besides its ideal originality 
which we perceive by its logical existence from the 
earliest history of its revelation. The fact is that the 
essence of spiritual life is away above material valu- 
ation, or else an issue at its unpopular stadium would 
have resolved in a total failure. 

The same cause has connected the possessors 
to it with almost their entire personality. Poverty, 
which even at the ancient time of Greek civilization 
was mightier at one of the rebellious Greek colonies 
than Themistocles's fleet and army, could not put 
up with an issue of spiritual life; as this would 



FREEDOM OF FORM 21 1 

simply ignore it into oblivion. It lives and moves 
from a different accord than the material life and 
activity, and yet it cannot part with the material, and 
while it does not halt before the inability of poverty, 
it assumes values superior to the most apprecious 
among the Earthly possession. Its freedom is perfect 
by its own, but imperfect by its connection with the 
material. 

The different degrees of the power of popularity 
may be estimated by the difference between the 
earliest issue of the Gospel and its present attitude in 
the opinion of the people at large. When Christ told 
his disciples to go fishing in order to obtain the neces- 
sary means for a subsistence, it does not indicate that 
his works were paying, although in a land where the 
common articles of food grew under normal circum- 
stances plentifully, while at the present time a cele- 
brated preacher and avowed follower of Christ receives 
as much as eight hundred dollars for each sermon. 
Perhaps nobody will stop to compare the abilities 
represented at these two different instances, while it 
may be interesting to many to compare the two dif- 
ferent times as well as the difference of popularity. 

Talents may occupy at an individual enterprise 
or as head of a corporation, and if successful, the 
entire result becomes due to its own credit, while 
another, if occupied for some common cause, is 
materially dependent on either the popularity of it or 
the ability of those whom it concerns, or both. The 



212 FREEDOM OF FORM 

technical difference between the exertion of two 
equally talented persons when occupied at business 
and the promotion of some common cause, respect- 
ively, may be that the entire result of the one's ability 
falls due to its own credit ; while the result of the 
other's exertion may lay in success which is only 
partly material and partly due to its own credit. 

Ability will thus always remain a factor for success 
in any nature of exertion, but the merit of one's 
effort depends on its popular character. 

The relationship and common right of all spiritual 
properties are thus the most sacred ties that bind 
society and humanity together; as they are accessible 
for the general acceptation and may effect an intimate 
connection even where class, society, and races have 
cut the most apparent insurmountable chasms. 
Hence the most active feature in spiritual life is 
supposed to be brother-love. 

The true ideal of human life, if revealed, might 
bristle with poetry which, by virtue of the true char- 
acter, ought to be applicable to reality. The reverse 
of poetry is monotony, as the reverse of the ideal of life 
is the consequences of it, to the details of the indi- 
vidual; that counterweight that makes such enormous 
drafts on every moral quality. Take, for instance, 
the poetry in material nature which is revealed to the 
light of the day, but not acknowledged in the same 
extent, on account of the prosaic sides of life in 
different forms and characters having occupied almost 



FREEDOM OF FORM 213 

the entire spiritual capacity of man, and the impres- 
sions thus received are by far easier to crystallize into 
reality than the contemplation of the true ideal may 
be apt to vivify to a life that receives its impulses 
from beyond the presence of its momental appear- 
ances. The age of youth sees more brightness among 
its real surroundings than does generally the riper 
ages. Is that because the youth perceives in error? 
It must be because that age is more naturally 
connected with reality ; and when it may fail to per- 
ceive the true ideal of life, it receives the impression 
through a somewhat modified sensibility. But the 
live-awake ideal will not in any age or circumstance 
succumb to reality even when present in the gravest 
adversities; and it proposes to hold the ground even 
against death. If this is admitted, the prosaic sides 
of life, although real as a momental appearance, 
which are homogeneal with the reverse of the ideal 
of life, cannot eliminate from it the poetic reality. 
And on what ground has the tendency of the present 
based its authority to exterminate poetry from the 
literature? What a conspiracy against the most 
sacred privileges of humanity, not to speak of the 
discriminations against persons especially gifted 
to facilitate the realizations of it! Those who try 
to monopolize spiritual life, may find themselves 
in absence of right of admittance to its sanctum ; 
and to monopolize the forms of its free expression 
may be to dislodge the essence itself. It would be 



214 FREEDOM OF FORM 

a pity to note a herd of animals turned into a care- 
fully attended garden of flowers and lilies, but the 
brutes themselves might not feel discomforted at all 
by it. 

In front of the windows of my room stands 
a bronze statue, cold, erect, and motionless. It is the 
facsimile of a soldier whose material remains are now 
transforming into dust and mingling with the earth 
to fulfill the laws of destiny for mortal man generally ; 
perhaps the earth that received him is the very ground 
upon which he fought to the last moment, for his 
country and opinion of right. The image contains 
the true and natural form of the brave as nearly 
as technic and art can reproduce the original, and 
it owjis qualities superior to that of the original, 
in stability by which it is made to carry the memory 
forward to the coming generations. It is history 
stereotyped, as to the particular personality, and 
we, perhaps, all agree as to the propriety and prac- 
tical way of thus immortalizing bravery and worthi- 
ness when displayed for a noble purpose or a common 
benefit of mankind. But the merits performed by the 
brave soldier it represents could not be made to react 
in the image of him, with the united efforts of every- 
thing on Earth ; it will henceforth remain cold and 
motionless, because it lacks the essential of organic 
beings generally — life. 

But the cold metal supplementing stability to the 
deceased hero is more than an image of his material 



FREEDOM OF FORM 215 

being: his performance of life and doings stirred the 
sentiment of his friends and admirers to engage art 
to choose a suitable expression for these his superior 
qualities, which might have been more or less of 
a spiritual character. It was the poetry of his 
admirers that sought and found a form of continu- 
ance substantial to the poetic side of life with the 
deceased hero. 

Traditions, when materialized in forms of whatever 
legible kinds or nature, are also images of a life which, 
having been active in the past, and their principal 
values are similar to that of the statue in question — 
history. 

They may convey by different mediums of conserv- 
ance to posterity unlimited marvels of heroic deeds, 
sacrifice, suffering, victories as well as the most illus- 
trious display of preservance of spirit, mercy, and 
charity, besides a recording measure of the great 
draught of cultural life generally ; but the natural 
powers which caused that magnificent, or feeble dis- 
play of activity disappeared link by link at the exit 
of the natural existence of their material coherents 
which yield to the laws of mortality. And even the 
ideal, that owns in eternity, may pass away with them 
if the heirs of the latter concentrate their attention 
about the material part once containing the presence 
of its life. 

Progress contains the vivid properties difficult 
to retain with traditional forms alone, as well as in 



216 FREEDOM OF FORM 

a modern form of monotony. You may admire those 
that once contained the magnificent display in all the 
clothes of ancient culture, and walk from one grand 
feature of thoughts, ideas, or artistic generic to others 
of still more advanced development until it appears 
an immensity of human effort to reach the super- 
humanly; it may all, more or less, be matters of the 
past, lest the present moment be inspired by the life 
of progress. 



FOURTH BOOK 

THE POWER OF SENTIMENT IN ANCIENT AND 

MODERN SOCIETY AND ITS ETHIC 

CHARACTER 



IN COMPARISON WITH THE TRUE EXPRESSIONS OF THE INTEL- 
LECTUAL LIFE 

WHO REPRESENT THE SENTIMENT OF MODERN SOCIETY 



CHAPTER I 

From the early history of ancient classical civiliza- 
tion, the judgment of society contained a decisive 
weight over the individual members or fellowmen of 
popular standing which bordered capital punishment. 
Woe to the Roman nobleman when a vote of discon- 
tent fell to his lot! This power of social sentiment 
was in no way restricted to or the outgrowth 
of political partisanship which from time to another 
tossed the proud Roman nation through its stormy 
period within the pendulum of its aggressive or 
reactive elements, and activity from one extremity 
to another, but a secretly working social understand- 
ing which was brought to the surface and executed 
at certain eminent occasions. The victim or delin- 
quent to such doom of unpopularity had no chance 
to demand investigation and try to prove innocence, 
which was the general course of court proceedings 
when a charge was being brought officially for trial 
before court-martials; but the victim of understood 
unpopularity was generally left the choice of volun- 
tary exile or committing suicide. 

It will not take a great deal of worldly experience 
to distinguish that righteousness was not employed 
as the chief factor in those social votes of discontent, 
as false charges might be circulated by the smoothest 

219 



220 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

influential person of the time, and by the worst 
scoundrels. 

But this apparent light and careless way of satis- 
fying the feeling of righteousness should not entirely 
be taken as a test of the wickedness of ancient Roman 
society; it has most likely originated from a certain 
instance of general lawlessness and prevalent difficulty 
to exercise righteousness by means of court proceed- 
ings, and finally it became a weapon in. the hands 
of most anybody of influence, and could be used 
almost any time in connection with the intrigues and 
shrewdness of the race* against personalities obnoxious 
to schemes and movements of political or social 
character. 

The keenness of feeling apparent at a flighty 
contemplation of this condition of affairs is, though, 
far from being the real characteristic of that time; 
apart from the causes alluded to it may show a high 
degree of refinement at the tranquil surface of society 
when not disturbed by the hurricanes and action 
of the stormy elements which at times swept across 
the imperial Rome, revealing its depth as well as the 
contents of composition; but the most conspicuous 
aspect of the condition is perhaps the fact that the 
sentiment of society is represented and voiced by 
a comparatively few who seemed to possess, for the 
moment, the destination just that way. Their lead- 
ing influences were dominating above the shifting 
power of popularity even; for they could assume the 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 221 

force of influence to bury popular men and heroes 
in everlasting obscurity. The people acted at the 
impulse of their schemy efforts in the moment, and 
regretted afterward when aware of its mistakes, but 
the passing of events at certain periods went so rapidly 
that the lack of opportunity or feeling of decency 
prevented them from correcting the unfair ways 
of thus rendering judgment. 

It will be considered that whatever legal environ- 
ment and fair distribution of justice shall have 
connected the ancient Romans to one nation, there 
is a space between the sentimental rendering of judg- 
ment and infliction of punishment and that which 
is wrought by the conclusion of evidence on the 
ground of righteousness. The righteousness of 
a people, exercised officially, may be a true expression 
of its standing of divine morality, and this is inter- 
rupted only incidentally and in detail by erring, 
or malicious execution of its apprehension of rights, 
while the sentiment of society at large will sail for 
every wind with the just feeling of being in the right 
at the moment it expresses it, and without the pangs 
of a wounded conscience if afterward discovering that 
it was faltering. We recollect that the divine morality 
with devoted individuals among the Romans was not 
marked by strength, and how could it be so when 
aired in the high-tone society! The difference 
between the fickle and easily moved Roman nobility 
and the sturdy Roman soldier, ready to conquer the 



222 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

rest of the world at almost any expense of sacrifice 
and hardship, indicates the space between the refined 
and high-tone life of ease and pleasure, and the 
grave necessity constantly confronted with in conse- 
quence of its policy of conquest. France, at Jena 
and Austerlitz, for instance, is not France at the 
Louvre, and the refined Parisian society generally. 
Yet one people; only representing the different and 
perhaps opposite sides. One of which moves at 
pleasure and at the soft tones of music, and the other 
by the force of duty. 

But the human life realizes in such extremities 
on account of the flexible contemplation of the 
divine morality and the civil personal liberty, that 
those in whose lot it falls to deal with strict reality 
of life, in its different possibilities, will grow serious 
as is their duty grown into necessity. 

Society punishes and rewards to-day with the same 
frivolity and fickleness of sentiment as did it when 
at the maxima of ancient Roman civilization, but 
on a different moral ground, and consequently less 
forcible, as to entire banishment of its disgraced 
victims; and its divine morality, if it chances to 
possess a public conscience, makes it possible to cor- 
rect its mistakes if it lays within a certain limit 
of decency to do it. The currents of sentiment are 
led by similar motives, as were they among the 
ancient Romans. When Christianity became a factor 
in civilization, the divine morality underwent a revo- 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 223 

lution, and righteousness an object of different 
contemplation. The individual being could take 
ground in opposition to its unjust judgments by the 
virtue of truth, and while enjoined from popularity 
within the termination of popular sentiment, it 
escaped destruction on account of the individual 
integrity of conscience and self-being. A general 
understanding of discontent would still exclude from 
the favor of society any one who might have the 
misfortune of falling in disgrace with the leading and 
popular opinion of the times, but its individual 
members, if in the right — lest in cases of exceptional 
acute feeling of honor — would still have the liberty 
for a standing on Earth, as well as protection of the 
commonwealth. Society may exercise judgment by 
the similar divine morality as the individual and for 
the same purpose — but it may not move by the same 
motives — if moved by any motive whatever, except 
its leading mediums, and the being of a conscience 
in the individual disappear in society, which make it 
powerless to reverse what it afterwards may regret as 
mistakes. 

Society of to-day may reduce its disgraced mem- 
bers to within strict individuality to the limit of the 
common personal liberty, and under the ban, or pro- 
tection of the laws of the land, but its doom is senti- 
mental and evidences not the true condition sought; 
hence righteousness is present by chances only, and 
if the victims be in the right, the doom should not be 



224 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

destructive and everlasting, as was generally the case 
with the ancient Romans — a fact which may be used 
as proof for the inefficiency of their religion as a power 
in the individual life. 

The apparent keenness exercised by society 
of to-day in rendering judgment over its several 
members is not tainted by Christianity more than 
that of the old Roman was tainted with their national 
religion of paganism, and this shows that the social 
current of sentimental nature is due to the common 
sensitiveness of human nature at a refined stadium 
as to the cultural degree of the times. 

In the higher circles of European society, chris- 
tened by a thousand years' tradition, trivial affairs 
of personal difficulties are still fought and contested 
by the power of the weapon; and not long ago duels 
were generally regarded as the highest pitch of 
expression of honor and fine feeling. The sight 
of a fellow's blood would thus satisfy the brotherly 
feeling of affection personally, and as a matter of con- 
sequence also the feeling of society; the sentiment 
of the latter is thus executed through its several 
members, not principally as it comes in direct oppo- 
sition to the divine and Christian principles generally 
adopted throughout modern civilization ; but it shows 
a developed state of human nature animated by the 
sensitiveness of unbent feeling. Its original presence 
may be a natural effort to exercise justice on the basis 
of sentiment instead of evidence which was a true 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 225 

natural expression and facility at the remote state 
of the human race. But the foremost of civilized 
human effort, here, seems to bend back to a touch 
with the remote condition of culture which is partly 
hidden in the shadows of heathendom. The prom- 
inence of civilization sometimes touches the indiffer- 
ence of barbarism ; not consciously, but as a death 
spectre which temporarily enforces recognition in the 
broad light of reality. 

If society has no coscience, it should not have the 
power to react through its several members by motion 
of the sentimental current, except through the estab- 
lished medium of justice or what is generally styled 
the commonwealth ; for the eventual erroneous ex- 
pression of judgment, which may be merely momental 
and nobody's special affair, may draw dangerous 
consequences where divine and Christian principles 
are active powers in the individual life, as well as 
through the several church organizations. The 
parties incriminated against may, by strength of divine 
protection, believe, expectant of a supreme decision 
of God, and by the power which saves them from 
individual destruction become a revolutionary element 
against society. The dangerous consequences on one 
side and safety on the other have been demonstrated 
throughout the history of the human race. The 
axiom that society has no conscience may not exoner- 
ate it from the consequences of its expressive action 
against its unfortunate members. 



226 , THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

The cultured religion of the ancient Romans could 
perhaps not save the individuals made subject to the 
particular censure of the times, in proportion to their 
guilt or misfortunes; when those chanced to occupy 
a distinguished standing, they generally chose between 
exile, suicide, and a lawless existence of conspiracy 
demonstrations in the outskirts of civilization, and if the 
turn of chances and luck again brought any of them on 
the summit of popularity, the question of the past 
never seemed to assume the form of an obstacle on their 
road toward success. v The Roman society cheered the 
arrival of the hero of the day in the same person as it 
had hooted the rascal and excluded in disgrace at past- 
gone times. Its action in either case might have been 
alike devoid of justification virtually, though its decis- 
ion the standing question of the moment. 

I could call attention to scores of incidents from 
the history of political life to show how easily public 
sentiment sails for every wind and how unsafe even the 
ground of popularity is when contemplated by the gen- 
eral uncertainty of its actual course, from the theo- 
ries and general principles of life which foremost claim 
stability; the noblest of what is known to connect 
and vivify human life and even claim eternity! But 
I would discriminate against the properties expressing 
in the action of political life, from the principles 
of free opinion, if mixing it up with the current 
of social sentiment generally understood by this term. 
Either of these currents of civilization may be toler- 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 227 

ably well sprinkled with principles and glitter with 
true respectability, which both become factors, when 
exerting activity through the instrumentalities of their 
organization or through official occupation, and they 
flow together in state, churches, and schools of various 
kinds and high distinction; but the sentiment at large 
is quite different of the political nature, from what 
is generally the dominant element in the great social 
appearance. The assimilation of these elements may 
be objectively permanent by principles, and active 
but temporarily, at the moment of excitement 
which will invariably emphasize on the side of the 
political life, indicating that the strength of the 
public mind may be concentrated there when it ter- 
minates into action, while it lacks the sensitiveness 
and coolness of expression of that of society in its 
refined state. Their objective motive of sentiment 
is their greatest difference; one side executes judg- 
ment as to the propriety of good taste and fashion, 
and classifies humanity at the present standpoint 
of the times, and exercises judgment when its environ- 
ment of privileges and morals of decency shall have 
been trespassed on, etc., while the other side uses 
sentiment as a practical element by which to arrive 
at a particular conclusion of affairs. The difficulty 
to arrive at popularity against the current of either 
is in regard to their power of influence equally mani- 
fest with their fickleness to convey the true con- 
dition of life, or uncertainty of direction. 



228 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

It be admitted that civilization triumphs by exer- 
cising the best of abilities, even in the element of social 
sentiment, as to refinement of taste and cultural effort 
of diverse kinds; while the safety of its members 
depends on their individual condition to the prin- 
ciples of life, the possible lack of consequence to 
adjust affairs of foremost importance will disqualify 
its decisive character. The absence of responsibility 
eliminates the moral authority and excludes the con- 
science. If good social standing, for instance, means 
nobility of character, why shouldn't it mean an indi- 
viduality in truth which would be individual safety? 
That is, if the excluding tendency of society cannot 
be transformed into a saving power when exigency 
demands such, or an equivalent to the stock invested 
in it by the different ambitious members, where will 
you seek its expression of divinity? The influence 
exercised by its several members is generally restricted 
to the leading ones, whose identity may be disguised 
under the discretion of private life, as was generally 
the case with the ancient Roman society. In the 
modern times, the newspaper world is accredited with 
a great portion of the leading influence of social senti- 
ment, which in this country recently, thanks to the 
zeal and self-protective instinct of the Associated 
Press clique, is limited to professional newspaper 
men. We own to the fact that a certain portion 
of society demands something more delicate than 
that, in order to qualify as the leading facility, but 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 229 

for the greater part of society, save our politicians, 
the newspaper world seems to claim the right to sit 
at judgment, and profound obedience is generally 
manifested to the superior influence of that power; 
the majority of those attaining to popularity in almost 
any branch of worldly matter of affairs, owe to it life 
or death, as the outcome may prove successful or 
fallacious. The leading medium of sentiment among 
the Romans was, perhaps, not as powerful as that 
of our times, but far less practical, from the absence 
of our means of communication. The exposure of 
unworthy lives and doings and bad characters is not 
alluded to as the faults of the circulating medium of 
information, which so frequently lead the sentiment 
astray, but the press, when out for the scalp of some- 
body, or when moving in a certain notion, seems to 
adopt the motto said to convey the characteristics 
and sagacity of William the Conqueror when he 
entered into his famous campaign against the Anglo- 
Saxon, which he, according to tradition, termed as the 
characteristic of the moment of the situation in a few 
expressive words to his brave warriors: "Kill all; 
spare nothing!" While the condition referred to here 
is intended to cover only the ordinary peaceable social 
life by its essence and auxiliary connection, the 
motto of that historical conqueror may easily reap- 
pear under cover of civil life, in presence of apparent 
overwhelming power of public influence, to which 
we, at the same time, like to pay all due credit when 



230 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

exerted with sincerity to the benefit of the largest 
portion of society. But as a matter of public senti- 
ment, where evidence is not considered, the innocent 
may be subject to the same treatment as the guilty; 
if the forked ways of life chance to bring them in dis- 
grace to the power that swings the scepter, then, 
a social exclusion may follow as a consequence. 

The newspaper monopoly in this country, styling 
itself the "Associated Press," has diverged its former 
representative facilities into an independent, dominat- 
ing majesty, which, if subject to the laws of growth, 
may become an imperative power of the land at any 
future opportunity. As to its leading facilities in our 
social life in its recently assumed capacity, much 
depends on the self-respect and moral ambition of this 
people, as well as its love of liberty. As a leading 
medium of sentiment it may add to the force of the 
former position in either way, and if it sets its broad 
foot too hard on the neck of public liberty, the indi- 
viduals concerned, who otherwise entertain the most 
important principles of life, would not necessarily 
have to lament: Woe to the humiliated; for life with 
the properties of truth establishes with the individual 
being to an integrity. Christianity has gained that 
much with her individuals in all classes of society. 
And while social disgrace drove the prominent 
Romans to the verge of self-destruction, the apparent 
humiliation would, in our time, simply reduce him 
to possible individual integrity; that is, when found 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 231 

loyal to the laws of the land. The congregations 
have good reason to look out for, not judging their 
members by the current of sentiment. 

It would be unjust and misgiving to estimate 
a people's intellectual capacities from its social sway 
of sentiment. Then it is not altogether its best 
facilities which are brought to action through that 
feature of expression ; since the true and unadulterated 
result of its righteousness and legality in action must 
be sought by cutting loose from public sentiment 
partly or entirely, as the condition may be deemed 
worthy and eminent to exert the best qualities — 
in legislative affairs, court proceedings, and the divine 
exercises in the congregations. We know, from 
experience, that all these executive institutions 
at times are influenced and their actions modified 
by public sentiment, but in their highest qualities 
of representative and authoritative capacities we 
couldn't pretend to find them the exponents of 
a fickle sentiment; our objective apprehension will 
retain a standard to satisfy our ideal. Responsibility 
is supposed to be vested in those properties of public 
action which deal with reality, and materially these 
responsibilities, as well as the true qualification of the 
common properties, should be sought where they 
were lodged. The moral responsibilities, though, may 
still remain at large with the sources where the public 
will expresses, at first instance; moral responsibilities 
in social or public affairs are not transferable to any 



232 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

second party of human beings, but it may be well 
represented by consciousness and righteousness. 
As a measurement, the greatest results have been 
obtained by individual efforts both in spiritual and 
material ways; the true reality may be sought at the 
depth of society, both in the conspicuous personifi- 
cation of ability and nobility of character and the 
materialized results of the combined efforts of former 
and present generations, and also the low-measure, 
deprivation and human desolation may be sought 
side by side with the former. If the sentiment of the 
latter should become the current expression of the 
times, it might assume the features of a protest 
against the existing order of affairs, and it would thus 
not look well as a surface appearance of a great cul- 
tured people; for instance, as a measurement of the 
normal condition, it would be about as deceptive as 
the side representing the brightest feature of society. 

As we have seen, the distinctive direction of social 
sentiment is due to certain leadership naturally as 
to the ancient people of more remote cultural stand- 
points, and artificially in the present times, with their 
immensity of convenience as to modern implements 
of communication, while its fickleness and changeable 
nature seem at every time to be due to irresponsibility 
and lack of conscience — everybody's affair and 
nobody's. Virtue and other good qualities of the 
human intellect become colors under the expression 
of sentimental judgments, hence vice stands almost 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 233 

every chance of admittance under the proper disguise, 
while its process of maintaining the moment's stand- 
ard of refinement, destroys the truer ^qualities of life 
in the same proportion as it excludes the unworthy 
and distasteful ; that is, by disgrace from prominence. 
It is a display of colors in which beauty is almost 
certain to triumph. Virtue makes an adjusting effort 
to retain a dominating attitude on the surface 
of society, but cannot be departed from the indi- 
viduals where it is at home; hence an impersonal 
presence of it becomes a mere reflection. Imitation 
will, therefore, become an easy affair to substitute 
the absence of those apprecious gems which play 
such important part in the destiny of humanity. 
But scandals may stain both the true and false 
display of social splendor, perhaps, equally easily. 
Then bankruptcy, morally, would be the conse- 
quence to those who might have invested for stock 
in its fictitious values, with their hearts and feelings. 
While the influence and expression of social senti- 
ments, even in its praiseworthy efforts, is irresponsible 
and impersonal, its detested victims could not remain 
so, as the exposure of their personal disqualification 
or faults become the very cause of their disgrace, 
while the maintenance of a suitable disguise would 
have sufficed in keeping on the summit. The true 
cause may not contain any fault, but incidents 
of misfortune or bad luck, or even the malicious 
efforts of some one else which sometimes chance 



234 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

to mingle in the worldly affairs of almost anybody. 
A business man, for instance, who is noted for 
shrewdness of enterprise, thrift, success, and wealth; 
excellent habits and a high standing in society gener- 
ally. He .may become disfavorably situated in an 
unexpected crisis and sustain financial shipwreck, 
which may not remove any of his good personal 
qualities whatever, but his social disgrace is certain 
from the moment his business failure is known to the 
public. Thus works the expression of sentimental 
judgment; when his former bright social colors faded 
they were no more present. 

The social display of refined taste seems to be the 
most active factor in dividing a people in so many 
different classes which, by degrees, depend on the 
sources of subsistence of life dispensable to the 
highest capability. 

In some countries this condition may be illustrated 
by the trial of the different voices among a well- 
represented choir, on the tone-scale ; a certain crowd 
of unequal number will stop at the same pitch as 
the indication of their voices will determine. But 
among the leading cultural people, where theories 
matched to reality is indivisible by sentiment, and 
brotherly love too well considered to allow itself 
to be taxed at its utmost capacity for a class-stand- 
ing alone, then the human instinct will generally 
indicate to the diverse presumption of prominence, 
where the suitable place may be occupied with 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 235 

decency. Besides, a goodly number in every nation 
will not even try to sharpen their social ambition for 
entering the summit, from causes of impossible 
magnitude, or from voluntary sacrifices for the 
benefit of fellow-men. We remember, though, that 
the sentimental appearance is supposed to be 
impersonal and inconsequent, and the practical appli- 
cation of principles of life would, in political sense, 
in cases of self-government, point you to actual equal 
constitutional right, and in religious sense, point you 
to the divine principles of Christianity. Distinguished 
dignifications are considered proper features in both 
these different elements mentioned, without contra- 
dicting their respective, or common principles. Yet 
the presence of the social features, its characteristics 
and influence on the particular occupations in life is 
a reality, as are the institutions formerly alluded 
to; only their properties of action are far different. 
We all more or less contribute to its demand, 
by willing consent or involuntarily, as the difference 
of personal inclination may be, while but a few, per- 
haps, will acknowledge the guilt that sticks to it from 
the unjust destruction of its unfortunate victims. 
The contributions, constantly made to it are more than 
the fashionable display of fancy and good taste and 
ambition for prominence; it takes a goodly portion 
of brain, blood, ability, energy of the higher faculties 
of man, and sometimes the entire happiness from 
many homes and individuals. 



236 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

It was by means of that delusive power of senti- 
mental influence of the worldly splendor that the evil 
spirit of Satanas once tempted Christ to hesitate 
at a moment as before a choice between a prominent 
career of worldly nature and power, and the realiza- 
tion of his divine mission destined by the majesty 
of God, when from the summit of the mountain 
he contemplated the vast and extensive possibility 
of the realm which might easily have been made sub- 
ject to his mighty ruling capacity. Every times 
have their summit N which almost everybody of 
spirit and ambition is tempted to enter. The his- 
torical instance alluded to may be often liable to 
be. reduced to a mere mythical importance from both 
believers and sceptics; the former will apprehend 
Christ from his divine being only, as an eminence 
towering away above all earthly matter and affair, 
to whom influence of worldly nature ought to be 
impossible, while the latter will attribute to the 
person of Christ and his connection with the historical 
events on record, the rarely gifted personification 
of the nobler characteristics of his race, whose mission 
is motiviated from genius and enlightened spirit, and 
modified by adversities and opposition. And in such 
case, an illusion tempting him to assume a pretending 
attitude to reestablish the traditional kingdom on the 
ancestral throne of David and Solomon, etc., would 
be only fascination and dreams, natural to the ambi- 
tious human soul, but impossible to realize. 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 237 

The veracity, though, of the historical delivery 
concerning this instance, seems to establish the fact 
that the sentimental charm deriving from the popular 
social question of the times, together with the sur- 
face appearance of the refined social condition, must 
have tempted the human nature of Christ in propor- 
tion to his superiority of gifts and splendor of natural 
facilitation; his capacity to have solved the most 
complicated national question of popular gravity and 
traditional standing. Why should not the foremost 
national question and popular desire touch the fore- 
most spirit and the noblest personality ! The 
Hebrews had waited and longed for a superior 
personality of their own, to solve their depressed 
political situation, and deliver them from the humili- 
ating, maimed national existence, and their desire, 
always expectant, kept alive by constant pressure 
from the outside, congulated in a sentiment that even 
owned the properties of spirit and force, because the 
undercurrent was a live question. In this capacity 
seems it to have attacked Christ, in opposition to the 
destiny of God. Only the superhuman could resist 
and conquer such attacks of severity and duration 
bordering the indescribable; the attacking forces 
actually held the forts within his own personal being 
— the human nature. A temporary retreat to the 
desert, among the barren waste surroundings, even 
became necessary. 

The way of destiny could not have been intercepted 



238 THE POWER. OF SENTIMENT 

even with the combined forces of temptation. 
Satanas is said to have led those forces to a fero- 
cious attack, at a convenient moment which here may 
mark the coincidence of the transformation from one 
stadium of development into another, of these 
unequaled powers and events which seem to have 
met and contested and conquered in the personal 
presence of Christ. It was not a temptation to tres- 
pass the Holy Law, nor a disregard of the compre- 
hension of decency; on the contrary, they owned the 
propriety of prosperity, popularity, tact, and fashion, 
besides the seriousness of the public question of the 
times. Years afterward, as the Biblical history reports 
it, when he again entered the summit of the mountain 
and beheld the same land unrolling its extensive 
territory, with the same beauty and grandeur of 
scenery and the same inviting floral-imposing appear- 
ance; the same cities and temples, with other and 
different conspicuous marks of the inventions and 
enterprises of the times, before his view, but with the 
force of the sentiment of the times against him, the 
situation is not a tempting one! He had, in the 
mean time, come in contact with the spiritual con- 
dition of the people in its true reality from a fixed 
standpoint of divine righteousness, and weighed the 
importance of life's apprecious part at its proper 
worth, and he wept for the overwhelming miseries. 

Those two different instances in the life and 
experience of our Lord seem like the contemplation 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 239 

of two different periods, with centuries of reactionary 
deprivation between them, while really it is only 
the surface condition and that of the depth of the 
people and the time, viewed from the same summit at 
different occasions. The force of either is through the 
divinely enlightened view, imposing and overwhelm- 
ing, and the difference is striking when compared with 
a brief period of a few years which could in no reason- 
able manner change the character of a cultured 
people substantially. We admit that later and more 
developed periods might be charged with the capa- 
bilities of a more refined way of expressing the senti- 
mental element than were the hardened Jews at their 
most depraved moment of national existence, but this 
furnishes a historical test-case which scarcely owns 
its equal yet on record in the annals of mankind. 
Two hundred years later on, when the era of Chris- 
tianity had set roots in the Oriental popularity, it sailed 
and spread with the assistance of the element which 
formerly had aroused almost every human power 
on Earth to a conspiracy against her to stamp her out 
of existence — sentiment. It does not convey ideas, 
theories, learning, convictions, or enlightenment 
of spirit, nor necessarily any of the genuine properties 
of Christianity; yet it assisted her spread in an untold 
measure. During the periods when the persecution 
and conviction of the Christians throughout the Roman 
Empire terminated in capital punishment, the senti- 
ment in favor of the martyrs caused thousands 



240 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

of safely hidden and secret Christians to give them- 
selves up to the officials, and plead guilty, in order 
to share their fate who had been caught and executed. 
When thus carrying a population by force, people 
don't seem to stop and consider the propriety of an 
alternative ; the practical and prudent may be relin- 
quished on, against well-founded reasonable grounds, 
for the moment's delusive spirit. Its influence may 
serve the situation, and it may damage it ; in both 
probabilities it animates the human nature to stake 
what may be in the situation and take the chances. 
But the negative sentiment apparent during normal 
social conditions has not always a particular object 
for its expression, except when headed by a specu- 
lative leadership. We have seen, when the element 
is more or less necessary for the conclusion of public 
opinion, at which occasions it brings to light to what 
degree the interests of the real object or issue 
of public nature, is founded in the general under- 
standing. Where it becomes the necessary stimulant 
at the first instance to realize a result or complete 
the formalities, it assumes the value of uniting the 
diversified opinion in order to arrive at a necessary 
practical conclusion. 

The deceptive character of public sentiment is in 
politics transforming into public opinion, and thus 
made practical use of equally to the true expression 
of the people's will. It might be hard to realize 
a condition which would centralize the general inter- 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 241 

est with the profound intensity of determining the 
public affairs from a thorough-going individual 
decision at first instance. Experiences have taught us 
how widely even self-governing people diverge from 
principles on these roads toward their social destina- 
tions. Yet it answers the purpose as it is, by arriving 
at a final conclusion of the constitutional affairs. 
And as a rule, the people have to pay the penalty, 
if dealing too carelessly with what might contain the 
importance of all the consideration it is possible 
to reach from an individual standpoint. 

But the semi-public social sentiment, too vague 
to claim the distinctiveness of opinion, and which 
is equally easily accessible for the good as well as bad 
influences, as the situation and leading element may 
chance to be, absorbs far more of the better qualities 
of the people than does that which expresses in public 
opinion of politics. It determines among the large 
portion of the people their life in the diverse branches, 
when not otherwise modified by their more or less 
serious contact with the real necessities, and how 
often even conquering the sacred feeling of duty! 
We hesitate to make manifest what belongs to excep- 
tions, lest the fact thereof passes our recognition too 
frequently, while this frequency will naturally blunt 
the acute apprehension of the facts. The bulwark 
of the law must often give way to the force of public 
sentiment, and the communities conserved are appar- 
ently satisfied, save the wide-awake patriots who 



242 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

may have to resort to silence when considering the 
inequality of the numerical powers invested. On the 
other hand, on certain occasions it may take stand 
against immorality and rascality in their different 
modes of committance not accessible for conviction 
under the law; the moral feeling of the people does 
frequently express that way, and its power is some- 
times a formidable one; which fact indicates that the 
original characteristic of social sentiment is the ani- 
mated spirit of self-protection against fellowmen's 
misconduct. 

The motive thus directing people or nations 
through their sentimental mood to motion for a good 
and noble object of human, and common benefit, with 
the intensity and force of removing obstacles of almost 
any possible magnitude and kinds, is not supposed 
to be inspiration from God, lest it be on second 
instance through certain inspired leaders who possess 
and demand the entire control of the move. When 
such motions naturally originate with and from the 
people, that will easily find among itself the leaders, 
it may be due to its special lucky destiny, and 
is about as dangerous as happy condition while 
prevalent, if not modified by strength of the circum- 
stances in practical reality. Such motions of the 
public mind are liable to go to excesses, and the result 
may terminate in destruction as easily as it will in sal- 
vation. Destiny, though, will always arrive at a final 
result to satisfy the will and judgment of the eternal 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 243 

ruler — God. But the direct way for a people 
aroused to activity of social movement, to its des- 
tiny, is not achieved by the power of man alone. 
Extension of times must often compensate the 
diverging faults of man. 

I do not unprovoked eliminate the moral qualities 
from social sentiment by showing the dangerous 
influence of an element equally easily accessible 
by the evil as the good spirit. We wouldn't have 
to go so far as to the condition of the Jewish people 
at the time of Christ, in order to find a legible 
example, neither to the ancient Romans. The nor- 
mal condition in all civilized nations exhibits within 
their traditional ranges, a popular adjustment of 
almost every social position and irregularity of nat- 
ural and lawful rights and inclination as well as tres- 
passes, from the peasant with the hoe to the executive 
power determining the infliction of capital penalty. 
Any struggle of oppositions of fruitful result is excep- 
tional, but in connection with external activity by 
wars, etc. ; for social sentiment centralizes its own 
equity of gravity by its overwhelming and current 
uniformity of expression, and the slum it sets off, 
which lies adrift at its extremities as a dead mass, is 
only the visible part of its sacrifices; but not the 
most conspicuous parts — those who gradually dis- 
appear from the surface to remain in obscurity, from 
causes of countless diversifications. Fate may start 
the reduction of a happy existence, and society will 



H4 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

finish it. What does it care whether bad luck or own 
fault played the overture in the misfortune of its 
members? Or what does it regret if the popular 
taste of its own was the real cause for a ruined 
existence of its member! The place of it will fill 
with unconscious indifference as to the fate of the 
disappeared predecessor. 

Society expresses reasonably both in its classifi- 
cation of humanity and punishment of the unfortunate 
and wicked members, but it is a cool and heartless 
expression bordering the mechanical. It may assume 
its attitude on the ground of a supposed equal chance 
for" anybody to enter the summit of prominence 
as well as to remain intact from the temptations 
which pull down into the depth of indecency and 
obscurity. The successful in life's various branches 
of business, may reflect on the amount of energy, 
efforts and consistency invested in the various affairs 
before obtaining the power of success, and the learned 
may reflect likewise. The race of life, for instance, 
awards victory to the shrewd and powerful and safety 
to the prudent, but worldly honor attains to promi- 
nence whether participating in the race or not. The 
social sentiment in this form is reasonable, but not 
consequent; the reality of life is contemplated only 
from the one point — success. What did these fortu- 
nate know at the beginning of the race, or in the 
midst of their struggles against adversities or with 
imprudent undertakings — know whether they would 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 245 

manage to reach the object of success or disappear 
on the road? Causes and circumstances of more 
natural character might interfere and intercept the 
possibility of success, even where talents, gifts, and 
virtue are present for the most promising possibilities. 
The social class-difference becomes a chain about the 
ambitious possibilities, with the majority of the lower 
classes, which will morally detain the progressive 
element in them, while it ought to stimulate and 
nerve them to constant efforts. How can the boat, 
even well manned, reach a certain destination if 
without oars, or the ship make speed without sail 
or any other mechanical and physical motive 
power? The condition could otherwise not chain the 
spiritual life with the several individuals, while it does 
for material progress, but it is bound to make the 
dividing point between progress in its difference 
of worldly and spiritual character. The divine ele- 
ment in man cannot be embarrassed by the chances 
of material adversities lest it be kept at a stadium 
of indifference; what the social life is lacking: Soul 
and the moral responsibilities of an individual self- 
being, should be imminent with the latter at whatever 
instance material progress may have attained. How 
could the divine ruling or spiritual ways of God 
be determined by the fickle sentiment of society, 
or be reduced by incidental material disadvantages? 
The really unfortunate of those who disappear on the 
road to material success, or from the surface of promi- 



M 6 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

nence, are, perhaps, those who invested their divine 
belief in the enterprise. 

Truth, in the free exercise of its unbound proper- 
ties, as love, charity, belief, hope, salvation, benevo- 
lence, and Christian virtues of most any kind, will 
generally work unmoved by the current sentiment, 
as ought the other side of it which should exercise 
righteousness by established rules and regulations 
specified by the laws. The latter, though, are not 
near as safe for the diverse individuals as the former, 
on account of their inactivity until set in motion 
by the sacrifice of money, or stirred by outraging 
criminal evidences; their safety from sentimental 
influence, as that of bribery, is variable, and shall 
not here be made the object of comment but for the 
purpose of showing that civilized society, in strictly 
exercising righteous judgment must act unmoved 
by the sentimental current. The legal personal right 
may be only imaginary as long as the law remains 
inactive. What position in society will, for instance, 
the constitutional right of American citizenship 
insure? But it may become a power against tres- 
passing liberties or indecent and criminal conduct 
of fellowmen under almost any social circumstances, 
except in certain ways of civil nature when barred 
away by inability of means by which to call forth its 
action ; poverty is still, in certain sense, mightier 
than the power of the law. 



CHAPTER II 

From the foregoing we have seen that, since social 
sentiment is unable to exercise judgment righteously, 
that is, the organized society has its expression 
of rights adjusted by properties disregarding senti- 
mental influences, the latter should not have the 
power to dominate our individual self-being contrary 
to the principles of life. 

Society in its sentimental expression is impersonal, 
even when acting through its several membership, 
and those contributing to it, from the apprecious 
qualities of life in own self-being, and fail in some 
way or other, have no practical chance for compen- 
sation from that source. 

The attainance to or reduction from social promi- 
nence are the two opposite sides of the struggles for 
success, reflecting an imaginary balance of gravity or 
maximum of life, always at a distance. 

Social sentiment is thus the common contribution 
of the reflective fascination of the times, and the 
consequences of a constant struggle for success among 
mankind. 

It has not the quality of an essence of power 
in itself, nor the conscience of responsibility, but may 
be used as a medium for obtaining success or popu- 
larity equally convenient by the good as evil powers. 

247 



H% THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

We will not need to involve in personalia in 
marking the ways, influence, and fickleness of social 
sentiment as a current element in public life, although 
many would charge to its leaders the moral respon- 
sibilities of its erring ways, perhaps little recog- 
nizing that moral responsibilities cannot be trans- 
mitted to other persons, even when the wrong-doings 
may be avenged by capital punishment which simply 
satisfy our apprehension of right. This be mentioned 
apart from the subject of this writing as a suggestion 
of the importance to be awake on the propriety 
of one's personal actions and attitude of self-being; 
the Enlightenment of our times and civilization invari- 
ably brings this upon every one of its participants 
as a consequence, and by degree as to the amount 
charged with each. I have heard of a certain criminal 
convict whose crimes, when evidently summed up, 
equaled a punishment according to the law of the 
land, of several hundred years. Such formalities may 
be proper expressions of learned jurists and criminal 
courts, but facts which apply to reality are different. 
The organizations of state and communities originate 
in their several membership, and the influence of 
either will return the responsibilities. Society with- 
out conscience, state without heart, etc., will not 
eliminate their importance at the moment of their 
action. 

We have in this country frequent occasions to 
note how sentiment works in sectional appearance 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 249 

when the communities at different places take the 
law in their own hands and deal summarily with the 
victims of their demonstrations. The committance 
of crime, in question, produces the force of avenging 
feeling which is neither civil nor Christian spirited. 
It is really revolt against their own established insti- 
tution, and open defiance of laws and principles which 
require the establishment of evidences to produce the 
guilt. Who will warrant that the victims of these 
rash deeds are always identical with the guilty? But 
the sentiment is satisfied with the sacrifice to avenge 
the crime, and no further investigation is considered 
necessary. Such actions by the mutual consent 
of a community of citizens is by far a worse breach 
of the moral laws than the crime it seeks to avenge. 
Every action of that kind is a step backward tow r ard 
barbarism, or at the best toward the remote condition 
of organized society when, at extreme situations 
of lawlessness, they were forced to resort to such 
means, although, not generally without clear evi- 
dences. Calling that a modern way of adjusting 
rights! They will note what a moral disgrace there 
derives from the lynch law. I would do a great 
injury to the loyal citizens and patriots of this 
country if I mixed this cruel and inhumane expression 
of public sentiment with that of the American people 
at large, but the exemplification is here considered 
useful to show how easily the subtle current of senti- 
ment may grow to the force of the hurricane and 



250 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

break down the safest environment of organized 
society. That the lynch law is no longer a popular 
affair in this country is otherwise indicated by the 
frequent brave and heroic action of the officials 
in defending the victims. To make a stand and give 
battle in defense of the law on these points is equally 
honorable as to give battle in defense of our country, 
and even more when considering the inequality of the 
numeral power of the forces often engaged. 

As an influencing element in social life, the kind 
of local sentiment recently alluded to is not the 
mighty current which moves on the modern surface 
of society. The waves on the stirred ocean which 
take ground will at once exhaust their power, and 
so does the local sentiment in its rash demonstrations; 
and besides, the affairs are often personal enough 
to leave the pangs of remorse in the hearts of those 
who participated. There is also in existence a secret 
society styling itself "The White Caps," whose object 
is to adjust social irregularities as to supposed 
immoral ways and doings, summarily, and it is 
generally understood it acts in the name of morality 
and under the mask of Christianity. As to the latter, 
it might as well put the mask aside and let truth 
stamp it the coarse hypocrisy; for of Christianity 
it has not the alphabet. Its brutality of actions 
demonstrates against every Christian principle. It is 
in very few instances that the law reaches to punish 
those secret criminals, as is generally the case with 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 251 

all evil doings and rascality that works secretly in the 
name of something good, but history will brand them 
as a lawless element in constant revolt against the 
highest principles of life, and unworthy to the benefit 
of citizenship. 

It is only a matter of contemplation that the space 
between this kind of local sentiment and that of social 
attitude, with refinement and keenness of observance 
as well as coolness in expression, grows to an abyss 
in comparison, although a relation between them may 
be discovered at a closer investigation. The former 
may be considered the outgrowth on the normal condi- 
tion of the latter, with admonishing appearances which 
speak loud and unmistakably for a "lookout." 
The social sentiment in its modern forces moves 
at high sea and the local ones surf at the extremities; 
the lesser ones issue from the larger. Times may 
bring forth a counterfeit of civilization, which will 
deceive the unexperienced if the sentimental element 
outgrow the power of truth in reality. It should 
not be possible for every power to use it for sailing 
in any direction, while it may be remembered that 
its original appearance is only human and natural, 
and we have seen how often it was used as an auxili- 
ary to the benefit of the good works for civilization 
and humanity. 

We have an example of the possibility of a sudden 
change of public sentiment from a recent occurrence 
in our public life, when Admiral Dewey, the gallant 



252 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

warrior and national hero of the time, on his arrival 
from Manila, was received in triumph when he landed 
in America. The people generally interested in our 
public affairs were ablaze with enthusiasm and his 
name was the general topic of the day. And a brief 
time afterward, deriving from a certain transaction 
of his home property, donated him by his enthusiastic 
admirers, to his beloved wife — a mere personal affair 
— but distasteful to what we call public sentiment, 
and the newspapers flowed over with indignation 
against him. Those mediums or leaders of public 
sentiment at one time had shown that they could 
make him popular, which really was the concrete fact, 
and also coherent with the true public feeling gener- 
ally ; but that they managed to turn public sentiment 
against him was to be considered a masterpiece! 
To my notion, the transaction by the Admiral of his 
home property could not contain the cause for 
a blame on him, and it seems that when the sudden 
outbreak of discontent had subsided, he is satisfac- 
torily justified as to his action. The worst part of it 
was that it hurt his personal feeling rather keenly, 
and he would hardly overcome that resentment, lest 
he should have made himself familiar with the fact 
that the storm against him at the time was simply 
raised by a few jealous newspaper men. 

The champion sailor, who had for the greater 
period of his lifetime acquired himself to the habit 
of coping with the wild elements of nature, and 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 253 

unscathed by the powers that always stirred his ways, 
could not escape to be painfully touched by the com- 
paratively mild current outbreak of public sentiment, 
when it turned against him, and the feeling is natural. 
This would indicate that social sentiment is essential 
as a power, which, though, may be a matter of doubt; 
for the power may be contained in the enlightenment 
which reveals and establishes the true condition of 
a strongly featured morality. When sentiment 
expresses by action, whether properly or erringly, 
it is transmitted into another stadium, occupying 
the agencies of man in his vital capacities, as the 
occasion may require. 

With the convenient medium, the newspapers, 
as leaders, public sentiment' at the present is made 
even more fickle and changeable and is rather easily 
transformed into activity, or inactivity, to suit the 
leading opinion ; people generally dare not oppose 
the popular sentiment lest it squarely interferes with 
their ways of duty, when the plucky cut away from 
it, but many may see fit to oppose it before it attains 
to popularity and succeed with a counter-action. 
On my visit to one of the greater western cities, I had 
the occasion to note the almost entire prominent 
population spellbound under that imaginary power, 
sentiment, and the leaders of it were the newspapers 
of that city. The particular nature of my occupation 
required to become, to a certain extent, acquainted 
with a certain class of the business concerns at the 



254 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

place, and I tried to walk the much besought and 
more commended path which leads through the 
newspapers. My visit to several of the leading ones 
revealed as' many haughty, indifferent, and by con- 
duct unpleasant, unkind men in the capacity of editors 
and managers whom I humbly tried to approach 
as fellow-citizens. When out of their places of busi- 
ness I purchased their papers to get the apprecious 
news of the hour, a glance through the papers revealed 
to my apprehension those same men, the similarity 
of the characteristics of certain kinds of great spiders 
which, from their hidden abode, bound forth to inflict 
a poisonous bite on their victims, retreating with the 
same swiftness of movement. I have also found 
kindness and humane feeling and courtesy, besides 
other good qualities present, with many newspaper 
men, and it should not tend offensive to these when 
I mention my experience with the opposite kind. 
From any standpoint of view, however, it made their 
position questionable as to what side or qualities 
of that city's inhabitants, who evidently contained 
almost every facility of the present civilization, they 
represent. The intelligent it was not, for there 
is abundance of evidence for the assumption that the 
inhabitants of that city, by the majority, are as bright 
and intelligent as those of any other city in this 
country. But they seemed to have vested the 
popular key of tone with the newspapers, where 
it was, at the occasion referred to, sought and found 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 255 

to be missing! Speak about the United States 
President when you want quantity of dignity 
measured in one personification ! The occurrence 
referred to happened to coincide with the U. S. 
President McKinley's visit to that city, and his appear- 
ance altogether marks the civil and plain citizen 
in comparison with those newspaper magnates who 
particularly seemed to have been conscious of the fact 
that they possessed the forts. And they use it in con- 
tradiction to the general understanding of journalism, 
in boycotting real or imaginary foes — equally freely 
and inconsequent. The Americans have earned 
a record of being able to transact business above 
possible undercurrents of sectional feeling deriving 
from religious differences, political partisanship, and 
traditions of different nationalities; the business men 
and traders practically lead a healthful tendency toward 
national unity which the newspaper press, for instance, 
at certain quarters of leading attitude, is unable to 
cope with on account of being too narrow and inde- 
pendent. The newspapers in certain big cities would 
put up almost any sort of means to destroy a contem- 
porary possibility for competition — don't matter what 
common benefit it might contain. Thus the faction 
anticipated to be in the position of molding public 
opinion to ward against the misapprehension of what 
might be considered lawful and humane for our civilized 
conditions, assumes an attitude more hoggish, inde- 
pendent, and selfish than any other class in the Land. 



256 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

The most characteristic mark of spiritual life in 
any facility or nature is, perhaps, tolerance. Free- 
dom of thoughts and right of existence are to 
spiritual life of the importance and propriety as what 
have materialized in their reverse, to the magnitude 
and capacity of the "Inquisition!" That is, the 
inquisitors of the Middle Age had to go that far 
in inhumane conduct and cruelties in order to equal 
the power and importance of freedom of thought 
and exercise of the individual rights. The oppo- 
site side materializes to an approximate magnitude 
of the immeasurable to indicate what it amounts 
to. Since the newspaper press is accredited with 
such widely forked influence on the present civiliza- 
tion, it should be nothing but proper to investigate 
into its true character and qualities, and compare 
it with the condition of the people at the present 
maximum. Or would it be fairer and truer to 
measure the condition of the people with that of 
the newspaper press? Where the latter leads the 
public sentiment, it might look to be the more 
consequent way, but this wouldn't reveal the true 
condition. The people will sometimes yield to the 
leading effort from a natural inclination to follow 
leadership, and when they will not do so practically, 
they may sentimentally, and this tendency is, as 
formerly alluded to, an influencing element in ways 
of good as well as bad. Suppose, in one of our 
modern cities representing the cultural condition 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 257 

of the present, you find a population generally- 
disposed to kindness, hospitality, friendliness, and 
a conspicuous desire for progress in most any way 
that times may offer, but in the same city the leading 
newspaper press generally disposed to hatred, spite, 
misrepresentation, and watching for the opportunity 
to obstruct the purposes connected with your 
presence, then it would prove misgiving to measure 
the general condition of the people from what had 
proved real and objectionable enough with this faction 
alleging to represent the public spirit. Their ways, 
then, are not taught by schooling, though you may 
find learning among newspaper men as among other 
classes of society; it is an attainment to independence 
and a habitual falling into disregard and indifference 
for fellow-beings; a practice apparently unapplied 
by the golden principles of life, which direct and 
modify the natural inclinations of the human nature, 
and may be it is the agencies brought to activity 
similar to those that brought forth the Inquisition 
at the darker period of the Middle Age. You will 
find in most every other civilized country the news- 
paper press a more representative medium than it is in 
America, and the cause for this may partly be attrib- 
uted to its concentration of power. In our larger 
cities, for instance, you may- find the leading news- 
papers to be big business concerns; they may thus 
claim the right of public opinion on well-established 
financial grounds, and, in many cases, as cynical as is 



258 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

possible for Americans to be. From this you will not 
wonder to find the prominent part of these free 
Americans, in most any capacity of business or occu- 
pation, to .move cautiously, as if with one eye con- 
stantly on the newspapers, as if the worth of a life 
or importance of a business career suspended from 
them by the connection of one thread. The condition 
assumes more marked contrasts, perhaps, because 
we are a liberty-loving people, but the sensitive part 
grows anxious and* nervous from the imagination 
of peril, as if oblivion awaited them on one side and 
scandals on the other at close range. Some one may 
ask, "Why should we have to become petrified in 
order to be right?" 

It may be perceived, then, that the newspaper 
press becomes a conspicuous factor in social senti- 
ment, in two principal ways, viz: As the leading 
medium and as the practical means of expression 
in both progressive and destructive ways. As a 
monopoly it may be regarded, in national-public 
affairs, the most dangerous element in the land. Not 
everybody has a free District of Columbia. 

From the ages of the past, where the leading 
motives of social sentiment were commutated by 
intrigues and other secret agencies by which to impose 
public opinion within . the more preferred circles, 
it is alleged that the fairer sex was secretly instru- 
mental to the leading public opinion which terminated, 
by its uncalculated turns and changeable nature 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 259 

generally, into the stirring events of that times, 
shocking to our sensitive feeling even at a distance. 
There are plenty of rumors about prominent women 
active as the principal but secret factors in the most 
important government affairs — as declaring wars, 
fixing the terms for peace, appointing ministers and 
other high officials of the state, and dismissing others 
from their posts of duty. Whether this be true 
or not will not be made a matter of investigation 
in this book, but it may be safe to assume that this 
could not generally be done contrary to the popular 
opinion, at the least within a limited circle, but 
it would, perhaps, not need the influence of public 
sentiment to arrive at a conclusion. This may indi- 
cate that the female sex, in her activity of social 
nature, will not work by the agencies of sentiment 
in order to reach her purpose. The influence and works 
performed by the women part of society, apart from 
that of mere personal character, is not of sentimental 
nature, even in modern society. I will try to prove 
this assumption by the following demonstrations. 

We have perceived from the foregoing that the 
social sentiment has not the properties of an essence, 
since society must realize through its different offices 
of activity its positive objects, founded on facts or 
theories supposed to convey the truth, disregard 
of sentiment. Thus the sentimental element is nega- 
tive, since it can be used as an auxiliary to different 
and contradictory powers. 



260 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

And it is demonstrated at some other place in this 
book that the positive element in the human intellect 
brings forth the negative, and vice versa. (See Cause 
and Consequence.) According to the understanding 
of the properties of different characteristics with the 
female and male sexes, they are supposed to repre- 
sent that of the negative and positive sides. Hence 
sentiment as a negative element results from a positive 
cause, and is thus brought forth by men. 

The impressions by the spirit of womanhood 
on social life are conspicuous by their practical marks, 
especially when from within her own sphere of call- 
ings; outside of this a different characteristic is to be 
apprehended or bred with her, before being capable 
of setting any marks on her surroundings. We have 
seen many women of a positive bent, and their suc- 
cess in their particular line of works is sometimes 
wonderful. We notice them perform almost any 
of the technical works generally performed by men, , 
and they often do it with the expedience and prompt- 
ness of perfection. So my suggestion to her opposite 
disposition of characteristic to that of the men 
is merely objective and cannot hinder what from 
long ago remains the facts, that the different specific 
training and rearing may fit her for almost any 
position in life beside that of the men. Fine arts 
are originated with women, and consequently at home 
with her; yet they have also developed to mastership 
with men, and they still, together with science, are 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 261 

cultivated principally with him. To mention the art 
of sculpture, I have so far not seen any work from 
men approach the original as close as the late woman 
artist, Mrs. Ketchum. She sculptured on those cold 
marble blocks a series of poetry which stand the 
materialized Te Deum to the great originator, God, 
as long as they will last, and the genial artist won 
a name in history among the noted masters. But the 
natural gifts of art wouldn't necessarily have to 
branch out to abnormal development in order to 
demonstrate their presence; it may be noticed in the 
every-day life of the well-developed, well-bred woman- 
hood, in her appearance, criticism, keenness of taste, 
and sense of arrangement, and countless numbers of 
other facilities brought to activity within her family 
circle which I scarcely know how to mention. The 
material sought here is to justify my assumption that 
the impression on social life by civilized womanhood 
is conspicuous with more practical marks than 
fictions. Her sensitive disposition has but little in 
connection with social sentiment of the hour, except 
when coalescent with her artistic bent, in the lines 
of fashion, etc. 

One example out of the many appearances pro- 
duced by reality as fitting evidences for my assump- 
tion, may be illustrated here from the general 
sentimental disposition toward the fallen and trans- 
gressing members of society. We hear frequently of 
women visiting our prisons and bringing with them 



262 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

flowers and delicate foodstuffs with the object of modi- 
fying the bitterness of feeling and unlucky existence 
of those from liberty and other apprecious qualities 
of life-banished fellowmen, or we hear them making 
combined effort to restore to usefulness and a life 
of purity fallen women who are drifting at the out- 
skirts of society for the inevitable consequences 
of fate, toward the precipice of destruction. The 
motive for their actions in thus coming to the rescue 
of those whose sign of distress is not perceived by the 
outside world through the heavy walls of prisons, nor 
distinguished among the densely populated and partly 
well-disguised life in our greater cities, is not senti- 
mental. It is power or genuine moral qualities which 
realize in virtue and arrive at the practical result, 
while the social sentiment dooms those unfortunate 
classes of fallen humanity to everlasting disgrace and 
exclusion. This is not always done on righteous 
ground, but often on the contrary. When society 
finds an equity for its offended sense of right by the 
lawful instruments of the times, in the sentence 
of the guilty party, its further requisitions against 
the same party, both morally and formally, are 
supposed to cease what the past concerns, but if it 
continues to punish — what is practically known 
to be the fact — by exclusion and disgrace of these 
members, it is the same as forgetting to credit the 
penalty paid up, on the account of guilt, not only 
to the parties it found against, but also against the 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 263 

innocent of their intimate surroundings. The other 
side goes to the opposite direction, in allowing 
unrevealed or disguised guilt to remain undisturbed. 
Society cannot forgive, through its sentimental 
expressions, because it has no soul; it excludes the 
members who decline beyond a certain point of its 
own center of gravity, which may be the moment's 
popular opinion. We remember all those fraternities 
of church organizations and other local charitable 
societies, how they propose to receive disreputable 
and fallen fellowmen into their respective circles, 
when they show an honest desire to reform their 
wicked ways of life! But this admirable display 
of charity and brother-love cannot restore the ones 
socially disgraced to social prominence, except under 
certain disguises, more than a constitutional right 
of citizenship, for instance, would be sufficient to 
insure social prominence to its possessors. 

The fascinating corrective of civilized times is thus 
impossible, even where the divine principles and laws 
proffer abundant of opportunities, because the former 
contains no power. 

I discount none of the individual achievements 
by the masculine kind of society, which are marked 
by strong evidences everywhere, when trying to 
demonstrate that the feminine kind contributes less 
to the sentimental element than men, and is conse- 
quently less influenced by it. Her thoughts and 
ideas realize more directly and unmixed by fascination 



264 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

and express a truer measurement of the situation 
both in objectionable and favorable ways; her hesita- 
tion of determination is only an evidence for her 
fidelity to her belief and ideas of something different 
which she may be unable to realize. The subjective 
belief will try to realize against any odds, and thus 
run the risk of much danger, while it also gains the 
most visible triumphs where it realizes. It is remark- 
able that the greatest and most epoch-making events 
so far on record were first revealed to women, at their 
approximate realizations; even the ideas containing 
genuine divine properties. These facts appear 
remarkable, because they occupy grand and important 
places in the history of mankind, but the life of 
every-day contains more or less secretly these qualities 
in the great multitude of enlightened believers, and 
it cannot fail to impress a visible mark on civilized 
society, on account of being too active for both 
hiding and depression. The abyss of unnatural and, 
unhealthful condition of life which sometimes divides 
the ideal from reality seems more easily bridged 
by her belief and natural inclinations than is generally 
the fact with men. Belief will materialize by its 
divine power. 

While we, as yet, scarcely realize the magnitude 
of the imaginary power of popular sentiment, which 
influence we are more or less subject to, it may 
be still less commonly admitted that vanity is not 
fair! Sentiment need not be the necessary supple- 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 265 

ment to scarcity of thoughts and knowledge; even 
representatives of great thoughts and principles could 
not be anticipated to be able to make a practical 
appliance of them to its own existence. If at an 
unpopular stage of development the very circum- 
stances present might make it next to the impossible 
for almost anybody lesser than the superhumanly 
gifted beings. The Biblical delivery tells us how 
Aaron yielded to the sentiment of his people in the 
wilderness, and in contradiction to their traditions 
and his belief in the one living God who leads their 
destiny with the revelation of great wonders, fur- 
nished them the coveted object of idolatry. And 
Solomon, the most popular king that wielded his 
scepter over the Hebrew nation, and the founder 
of the famous Temple for the worship of Jehovah, is 
said to have finally shared his divine devotion to the 
modern Phoenician idolatry in the worship of 
Ashtoreth. The Phoenicians were then becoming 
the leading representatives of Oriental culture, and 
their king, Solomon's contemporary, was the latter's 
ally and personal friend. The modern religion of the 
heathen gained the popularity in Syria over the 
religion of truth ; and how tempting to the powerful 
ruler Solomon, who held the hegemony over Syria, 
to be up to the times in all his ways! There is no 
doubt but that he possessed the intelligence of judg- 
ment to distinguish between the false idolatry of 
Ashtoreth and the worship of Jehovah with an estab- 



266 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

lished system of theories and principles. But the 
tempting sentiment from the fashionably cultured 
Phoenician. seems to have moved him with his wisdom 
to be in it, pro-tempo. Meantimes, Destiny planned 
a division of his realm forever, and his descendants 
on the throne of David got only a share of the power- 
ful Hebrew nation under their scepter. And his 
ideal that at one time inspired him to erect the 
hitherto costliest monument of devoted worship 
to the living God, seem to have been overshadowed 
in his later years by a deceptive apprehension 
of vanity. 

When the glittering surface of his surroundings, 
popularity of achievement, and strength of desir- 
ous interests of his lofty ways generally, had faded, 
he, perhaps, felt the ground on which he once stood 
so firmly give way from beneath him; his belief was 
no longer intact. While we admire his wisdom and 
power of achievement in architectural ways, and, 
contributions to the holy literature, as well as his 
great love for artistic productions which he intro- 
duced into Jerusalem with great effort and sacrifices, 
we perceive that his was not one of those spirits that 
grow to life's end. His faults, from our standpoint 
of contemplation, were evidently not the faults with 
him from his modern contemporaries. A different 
thing may be the case in regard to his special calling 
as a leader of Israel. We notice the influencing 
tendency of the popular sentiment of superior power 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 267 

of currency from the surroundings, and we mark its 
tenacity to mingle with everything, from the ruling 
majesty of government and policy of politics to the 
people's divinity of worship; all of which might have 
been considered a profitable modification to the rather 
sharply drawn traditional laws and regulation. But 
when the people woke up by the forcible grip 
of foreign supremacy, the spellbound disappeared, 
and it found that its divine virtue had vanished 
without leaving any visible mark of influence on the 
surrounding people, to make even a reciprocal com- 
pensation. And their inability to comprehend the 
extent of their calamity perhaps saved them from 
despairing out of well-caused grief. History has 
so far, with the combined efforts of the past, not been 
capable of determining the consequences of the failure 
of that tremendous and divinely planned attack 
of spiritual culture on the half-barbarian times. 

How often is not lawlessness against human 
rights and demoralizing acts perpetrated at all 
times by men in prominent positions! The illusions 
of high-tone sentiment composing the sphere within 
which they move reacts on the multitude who con- 
ceive and admire. But if that illusion of popularity 
disappear, the improper conduct of the parties 
in question will assume their real character, and then 
the sentimental current may turn against them and 
with the irresistible unanimity of expression carry 
them away into the depth of obscurity, or reduce 



268 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

them to their individuality of self-being. The sway 
of times will impose most unrelentlessly and often 
under the most deceptive disguise, on those who 
have attained to the summit of natural leadership for 
some or other real cause of destiny, and they may 
bend to it from the laws of influence if not strictly 
wide awake on the specific object of their attitude. 
Many royal officials and other dignitaries have 
a body-guard of safety, but a less number, perhaps, 
have a guard of moral support when they need such 
most urgently, while others may have even angels 
when assistance from man fails. Christ couldn't 
induce his disciples to keep awake one hour in the 
battle of temptation, and angels were supplemented 
to occupy the post of duty when the watch of man 
was tried and proved to be insufficient. History 
exemplifies abundantly from those who towered 
up above the level surface of times, and the names 
of those who fell are not engraved on posterity for 
the purpose of inflicting an everlasting punishment 
alone, while the consequences deriving from the 
different deplorable accidents connected with the 
conduct of some of these historical personifications, 
when adjudged aside from contemporary circum- 
stances, may stir up the indignation to repeat their 
doom from time to time. And to the contrary with 
those who are styled the heroes. The main object 
of history to teach is commonly taken less stock 
in; its admonishing outcry, Beware of the danger! 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 269 

will generally not reach beyond the irritable interest 
for knowledge when not an object of persuasion 
of learning and special investigation for discoveries. 

While we acknowledge — and many of us rejoice 
in the happy fact — that the leading destiny and the 
Spirit of God always arrive victorious toward the desti- 
nation of mankind, even if by forcible removal 
of what certain periods of times may have built in 
obstruction to his ways, or strongholds of fortifications 
might have to be put up against the injurious influ- 
ences of other times, we are often apt to forget the 
importance of the alternative laws of the circumstance 
that different factors of civilization must be syste- 
matically in activity in order to facilitate the natural 
development by the laws of progress and obtain what 
we, in lieu of the proper expression of the term, may 
call a good result, or else the insufficiency of the 
period or times involved have to be supplemented 
by postponement, infinitely as to the power and will 
of man. When some people think continual super- 
natural interferences suitable for enforcing good 
causes, it might be worth our consideration that 
it pleases the majesty of God to retain originality 
both in the matter of creation and his establishment 
of laws and systems. Humanity is more or less 
conscious of the necessity of the specific guidance 
of God when it finds itself in the wilderness of the 
times and confronted to magnificent problems 
of adversary nature, or when the formerly established 



270 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

principles of life become questionable as to their 
qualities of veracity; while the truth as the practical 
leading star might have been prepared close by, on 
the nearest horizon of the times, if sought, while 
distant to the extent of its orbit when carelessly 
omitted. The situation will generally solve the 
exigencies by the inventive characteristics of man, 
but if the divinity in him is kept indifferent, he will 
materialize where truth is spiritual and cannot be but 
so. Opinions will naturally substitute with the next 
best on hand, what otherwise would be regarded the 
trutji by its wisdom and logical properties. Opinions 
may form on almost any subject prior to, or in 
absence of, the possibility for their realization. 
But their relation to the truth depends on the 
enlightenment, veracity, and purpose with the origi- 
nators or leaders. The multitude who are unable 
to make comparison with reality or with something 
established, are at a loss when a contradictory current- 
of opinion claims popularity. They may be the 
necessary contrasting sides or counterparts of a situ- 
ation without which the true condition would be diffi- 
cult to find, and as such containing an essence of the 
question involved, and a practical solvance may be 
obtained; that is, if their conclusion was made 
dependent on such way of a solvance. But anything 
else, leaving the chance for a difference of opinion, 
would remain floating and vary with regard to its 
probability with the popularity of sentiment. 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 271 

Freedom of opinion stimulates the expansiveness 
of sentiment, and can give it all possible colors and 
directions within the two extremes which are also the 
governing limits — when not practically modified 
by reality — tradition and fashion. We have before 
us a view of the splendor and refinement on the 
glittering surface of our times, to ascertain ourselves 
that something veritable has been obtained where 
power and effort have combined in the free develop- 
ment of the cultural refinement of the race. What we 
note and wonder at, thus materialized, was once 
present as the individual spiritual affairs, but not 
socially. And if we go into the depth and investi- 
gate into the deplorable condition of society and note 
what realizes with the every-day life, we are forced 
to admit from the order of causes and consequences 
that it was thus present at first instance as a humanly 
spiritual affair, but not socially. It follows that 
society couldn't possess the possibilities for either 
progress or deprivation, while it might cause abandon- 
ment of both by severing the natural ties which bind 
humanity together. Since this is not done by political 
laws, it cannot be prevented by invention of such 
laws. That is about as far as society can go; as 
a nation, for instance, it executes certain official 
duties and distributes the common wealth, etc., but 
the mightiest element in society may be the popular 
opinion or sentiment. 

The most influential of all social laws are the 



272 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

unwritten laws of opinion distributed by the senti- 
mental current of the hour, and which need no other 
means of enforcement than popularity. When organi- 
zations of the different kinds and natures bring 
power into activity, opinions are fraught with the life 
properties of their several individuals, and the power 
thus produced waxes in intensity in proportion to the 
spirit of the contributing interests. Patriotism, for 
instance, is not sentiment; it is natural love with the 
undefiled condition of the country of which one's self, 
through intimate connection, is a part, and its reverse 
is'jealousy. Its activity establishes to the most forcible 
degrees of material power, as do the several church 
organizations in the milder sense of religious nature, 
and either exclusively with the qualities of the 
individual life. What they have materialized by 
more or less accumulation of laws and wealth may 
distinguish their degrees of material power, but 
would, at the moment of dissolution, become dead 
issues. We have witnessed the annihilation of states 
as well as other and minor organizations, and in some 
cases it stirs our sense of right in different ways 
as we may be disposed by personal inclination, but 
no life was made extinct by those annihilations 
except with the forces involved in the execution 
of it, where it was done by the power of wars. This 
will indicate that no spiritual essence is present in the 
social appearance at any time, whether in state organi- 
zation or that of the churches, except when the 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 273 

universality of the divine principles or the property of 
truth involve the leadership of God. This assump- 
tion, if true, will not eliminate from any of them 
their propriety and good offices which they may exer- 
cise. As truth is enlightening, the knowledge of it 
should serve to stimulate the interest to a more 
intense contribution to the good causes, whether 
of religious or political nature. Who would dare 
to inspire devotion and obedience to the revealed 
will of God by telling the people to believe in the 
church, and who would assert as the principle for 
inspiring to true patriotism and propose as the source 
of individual prosperity of life, by telling them 
to depend on the government, state, municipality, 
or community? Even if organization could be 
brought so far as to assume the intimate character 
of the family, their abilities of exertion would depend 
on the contributing qualities of their several members 
or constituency, and would leave no essence of life 
at the moment of a possible dissolution. As the 
means of protection or environment of safety they 
indicate something else which is sought providence 
for. A regiment of soldiers under march throws out 
a picket chain to provide safety during its hours 
of rest, but at the end of the campaign, when the 
body of men dissolves and the military rules and 
regulations cease, such providence might be super- 
fluous. 

The prosperity of an issue of whatever nature 



274 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

is manifested by the amount of interest there be 
invested in it. The power of life is thus intensified 
by the multiple of contributing interests in the com- 
mon exercise of the right properties in order to obtain 
a result which is more or less identical with reality, 
while indifference will withhold a proportional 
amount at a loss to the cause where it was due. 
To encourage the belief, then, that something bene- 
ficial to oneself should derive from the source where 
the account of status shows him the debtor, would 
be to reverse the natural order of the affairs. But 
that wouldn't prevent that other accounts might show 
something which he is rightfully entitled to, from the 
same source; this, though, will really come in under 
the comprehension of the moral existence of an 
organization, as it is the material consequences 
of their measure of works, more than the life powers 
to which are due their appearance and beneficial 
result of them. The virtual strength of the contrib- 
uting power to a live issue of common interest when 
conscious of the facts, would do away with the 
deceptive tendency which believes in an essence of its 
own, with any organization, and thus transposing the 
confident members on the evasive. Those who 
deceive to retain fidelity for the popularity of certain 
organization must make use of the negative side 
of civilization — ignorance. And their existence will 
not thus reach above the low measure of formalities. 
A wide-awake apprehension of our individual stand- 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 275 

point to the organizations which realize something 
practical would also do away with many of the 
doubtful and superfluous organizations which extract 
the vitality from those which are considered necessary 
for organized society of civilization, while they return 
emptiness and indifference. Divide society or the 
nation where it ought to stand united, and note the 
result with fear for the future, Christian and 
patriot! Social sentiment has divided itself into 
a classification which the shrewdest assembly of poli- 
ticians cannot uniform by the power of laws, nor the 
effort of the churches bring to a level of equality. 
If sentiment takes the liberty to organize and execute 
different purposes in concurrence with the state, the 
question might, in the course of time, turn up: 
Whom the boss could be? And that is a serious 
question when the sovereignty of a nation is a part 
in the affair. So far they have not attained to 
political importance in this country, and as it is not 
my object here to question their political lawfulness, 
I shall limit my meditation to their moral character 
and influence on our affairs of public nature. With 
due admittance of the integrity of this people and the 
sovereignty of the law, we note that much of the 
rankest rascality cannot be practically evidenced for 
the punishment of the laws, and sectionality of feeling 
deriving from opposite interests, difference of con- 
templations, and the incarnation of strictly limited 
societies may cause the perpetration of evil-doing 



*7 6 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

and injury to fellow-citizens of revolting character 
against the constitutional right of citizenship; not 
to mention their damnable nature against moral laws 
and principles. Liberty comes convenient for other 
purposes than the virtual. 

While we may have reason to believe that many 
of these private organizations are active only for 
good purposes, and some of the industrial societies 
and other professional organizations are even neces- 
sary as the means of protection against their mightier 
fellowmen, we fail to perceive the propriety of the 
existence of all those secret societies which work 
under cover of absolute secrecy. There is danger 
from them for the safety of our faithful and loyal 
citizens. We are not aware that any charitable 
society or Christian associations find it necessary 
to secret their ways and works It is plain enough 
to see that some of these organizations have material- 
ized in order to facilitate a certain specific object 
of works, and the practical result is manifold. 
Young people of interests organize to help other 
young people to grow interested. What noble pur- 
poses, and what could promise better for a useful 
yield of fruits, than to clear away the jungle which 
gather around the youths! 

Charity has a wide range within her reach and 
many hands. But the concurrent organizations 
eliminate power from the churches and from the 
state. . People of interest will organize about issues 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 277 

of specific practical character. Do they apprehend 
that the spiritual properties represented in those 
organizations are not present as an essence of its own? 
Another circumstance is very favorable that the 
young and unprejudiced will more easily bridge the 
schism which separates the different churches apart 
from one another and unite about some issue which 
will not touch the points of difference unpleasantly 
and indecently. This may be a hard task for the 
riper age and for the higher learning, even with the 
convincing strength of experience, of the condition 
of disloyalty to the divine truth. 

It is where the interests divide that society sets off 
in marked sectional differences, and these will easily 
materialize in more or less opposite attitudes to one 
another, as the situation may be, until the common 
connective is practically severed, although the provi- 
dence of God has systemized natural ties which bind 
society together at certain junctures with indispen- 
sable consequences. These are more or less percep- 
tible as the enlightenment of civilization may be 
bright or shadowed, and the means will be found 
at hand in the same degree to realize the idea, since 
it contains the natural facilitation. 

We know that difference of opinion will naturally 
form parties, and we have formerly discussed the 
apparent necessity of it to arrive at a conclusion, but 
parties are not identical with organizations which are 
governed by specific laws and regulations ; parties are 



278 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

supposed to be only the promoters of certain theories 
and teaching which final result congulate with the 
more universal properties of civilization, or more 
distinctly, with the congregation and country. Those 
of political nature are often the practical implements 
by which to gather the scattered opinions about 
certain issues, and they will not generally extract 
from the state the interest due it by patriotism; since 
their efforts propose^ to finally disappear in the com- 
mon interests of the state. But the reverse is often 
the case with the concurrent organizations. What 
do those extensive secret organizations which make 
such heavy drafts on the vitality of society give 
in return to the country and to the congregation? 
The country is supposed to have extended to them, 
as a first installment, the liberty to exercise their 
personal facilities almost at pleasure. The chief 
executive of a self-governing people who entertains 
intimate connections with secret organizations of con- 
current nature, may be likened to an adulterous 
woman who occupies an honorable position at the 
head of a family. Either of these important positions 
seem to require the personal faithfulness in an equal 
degree. There may be less danger present that dis- 
tinguished leaders of church organizations should 
diverge with their attractions on these points. 

People will generally, under normal conditions of 
the times, take matters at ease when it lays within the 
range of their commanding power to do so. To be 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 279 

the "master of the situation" conveys the meaning 
of a far-reaching attitude by mortal humanity, and 
presumes qualifications for the particular purposes 
of life, influence over the surroundings, and other 
facilities necessary to possify success. The personal 
liberty allows a wide field for the exertion of the 
better qualities and for development of the natural 
resources, and belonging generally with the individual 
life. If the limit for a person's actions and doings, 
who has the proper means and abundant of them 
at hand, be the limit of its personal liberty, there 
w r ould seem to be nothing that restrains from going 
to excess in many ways, about as easily as to have its 
attention concentrated on useful and practical works 
alone. This is pertaining the moral and spiritual side 
of life. When seen from the result or consequences, 
it appears as if some people tear down while others 
buildup; one period or generation reconstructs and 
destroys what other generations have organized 
or erected. And opposing elements at the same time 
will simultaneously work in contradiction the self-same 
things. The right to do so according to the freedom 
of opinion seems to furnish enough grounds for the 
existence of this order of things. Life will express 
its true character in the exercise of freedom and the 
results of its actions will prove the merits and veracity 
of it. It does not make much difference how many 
good natural qualities there were present, for these 
might be directed and occupied on doubtful objects 



280 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

as well as proper ones. We have seen that the senti- 
mental element may be turned by a comparatively 
few and made practical use of as an auxiliary to reach 
a certain purpose, and that by the power of influence 
from objectionable surroundings may be removed, 
and other situations changed to suit the occasion. 
Almost any exertion of purpose will arrive at a result, 
at the least for a temporary success. We have many 
examples from experience to show this; it is the order 
of consequences. The human life seems to have 
inherited from the great Inventor the liberty, when 
not, restrained by oughts and dues of earthly matter, 
to make a choice among chances and opportunities to 
the minimum of the alternative, so that wisdom and 
prudence might triumph with the right. 

What perhaps is less generally considered, is that 
the most genuine properties of life, those of spiritual 
nature, are not changeable , what are fixed by divine 
laws and systems must as power in activity arrive 
at the given destiny and leave not even an alternative. 
The freedom of choice among several ways will not 
alter the destination of the right one, and the divine 
ideal of human life has a comparative preference 
among the speculative conjectures of the inventive- 
ness of the human mind. We recollect the regularity 
with which the organic and physical systems of nature 
perform their actions, and we hesitate for an investiga- 
tion to find them governed by certain laws containing 
the character of their origin. This activeness in 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 281 

everyday life may grow habitual to the majority, lest 
brought in contact with them by an interference 
of some kind or other, and the result may be an 
acknowledgment of their positive nature against the 
human power, which may bring forth a comparison 
of the power of God and that of man. The learned 
style these natural laws truths, and will as a rule not 
dare to put up against them. They find the prudent 
interference with them to be submittance, which may 
also contain the only practical way. Why should 
it be possible to interfere with the spiritual ideas 
of divine origin and obtain a happy result in oppo- 
sition to them? 

Truths of spiritual character may be established 
logically with equal strength as the natural truths 
demonstrated. Their properties of action require 
as the characteristic difference the peculiar element 
in man. 

I am trying to bring forth this to arrive at the 
conclusion that the genuine qualities of life are not 
a haphazard that can be produced and eliminated 
by the changeable fickleness of times and sentiment. 
We note the facts of their absence as an essence 
or power where sentiment has the presumption 
of becoming the governing element. But they are 
present where their properties may facilitate system, 
which originally is in the individual intelligence 
of man. I have in former passages of this book 
mentioned the hazard involved by the subjective 



282 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

belief, which includes also belief in the churches, 
on account of the difference of characteristics between 
the spiritual and material, while this fact will not 
exclude an intense contribution of the spiritual 
qualities intermediably by the several members. 
Life may express its true element through its out- 
ward activity whether individually or congregation- 
ally, and the issues of an organization of that kind are 
not supposed to contain other than the agencies for 
the object of their existence and measure of works. 
This will actually make the churches no less sacred 
if the consciousness of their constituency claim them 
to be so; but it may help to clear away the deception 
which many seem to be fraught with ; to believe 
in the church, and perhaps bring forth the realization 
of what is better — truth. 

The temple of worship is sanctified by the devotion 
of the worshipers; it wouldn't produce logic to exer- 
cise any divine services to an infidel audience. The 
same principle may be applied to the organization 
of mere worldly nature, except the former comes 
nearer to the ideal, if the divine principle be exercised 
in brother-love, etc., but this must reach further than 
to fellow-members if it shall stand the test for the 
proper qualification, although similarity of belief will 
naturally connect a more intimate familiarity by the 
power of sympathy, and when known, it will even 
surpass relationship by the natural ties of the blood. 
Similarity of thoughts and belief makes a closer con- 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 2S3 

nective than commonness of natural gifts and occu- 
pations. There is a spiritual relationship constituting 
the invisible Congregation, with the Spirit of God 
as the leader. There is no doubt but that sympathy 
is eminent within this where members are conscious 
of the fact. Brother-love was commanded at an 
early stage of the history of Christianity, and is 
a timely feature up to date, and is practiced within 
certain limits to considerable degrees. This practical 
feature of sincerity in acknowledging an allegiance 
to the truth, should not need the spur of a distinct 
law paragraph to find a suitable expression in life. 

In comparing the moral tenacity of associations, 
the family will stand as the foremost when harmony 
is prevalent, and as to holiness it may at the least 
come equal to any one of other social organizations. 
The strength of sympathy deriving from spiritual 
relations would hardly contain the durable connective 
to stand the trials of the every-day life; besides, 
it is always hazardous to try the spiritual against the 
material. The natural ties seem to contain the 
specific tenacity for the family life which is constantly 
brought in contact with reality. If harmony be main- 
tained at the same time, its practical strength sur- 
passes that of any civil association. We perceive the 
high quality of harmony in the family life, even under 
lucky circumstances, when the several members, 
as pertaining the junior parts of it, are as many 
dissimilarities ; but where nature is allowed to develop 



284 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

the connective, the most grave necessities become 
auxiliaries to strength by continual interference with 
reality. 

There is in the human soul a more or less urgent 
desire present to obtain an equilibrium and an unre- 
strained range for one's best thoughts and ideals 
of life, outside of the natural circle where calling, 
traditional usage, or circumstances have concentrated 
one's occupation of life. The material side of life 
will often strike a disharmony with the spiritual side, 
and the satisfactory equalization is sought somewhere 
else. Sentiment may be the current agencies to 
realize a distraction from these natural associations 
of intimate surroundings, but the real motive may 
be contesting powers within one's soul or heart. 
In some instances it assumes the seriousness of 
a choice between life and death, when the contrasts 
of those two sides of life be too sharply drawn by 
reality. The spiritual being in man claims the master- 
ship, and as such may find reality positive to a degree 
of impossibility of endurance. The appearance, 
though, is largely due to the deceptive contemplation 
of the situation and of the natural qualities of life 
involved in it. And the voices of admonishing 
gravity which rise against it from the different asso- 
ciations sustaining the loss, the family, church, and 
state, are unable to stop this draft on their power 
of existence; may be because they propose to contain 
the qualities they possess only imaginary, or more 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 285 

distinctly, the material sides of them. But whether 
such distraction, from what may be considered the 
natural sphere of reality, be due to sentimental influ- 
ences or the more substantial powers of life within 
man, the tendency to seek from some external 
sources the object of our attraction, where we perhaps 
ought to be the contributors, becomes again apparent. 
Or there is sought from without what man might 
obtain within his individual self-being; since the 
properties of life in spiritual sense become thus 
originally active. The fact that relation of thought 
is naturally sought by associating similarly thinking 
fellowmen on common principles, shows that some- 
thing is deriving from the activity of their spiritual 
life, which is practically useful and even necessary 
as leading tendency, as compliments to individual 
dissimilarities of gifted, or in the least for obtaining 
understanding of one's effort or actual spiritual 
wants. These benefits, though, are not deriving 
from any social essence of an organization ; but are 
contributions from the several members of fellowship. 
The idea seems to be an original divine effort to estab- 
lish a whole system with logical connection of the 
ideas and principles revealing to thinking mankind. 
We perceive from this the apprecious and beautiful 
providence of God in the existence of an invisible 
spiritual congregation with systematic belief and 
activity. And experience, with history as the proof, 
teaches us how the tremendous efforts made from time 



286 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

to another to systemize with a technical realization 
in practical life have been baffled by the unfavorable 
and adverse condition of man generally; the element 
which consumes the entire exertions of the vitality 
representing the truth of civilization, by the com- 
bined effort of the good causes of life; every action 
of mercy and duty by women and men, as many 
as can take hold, and yet the true result varies about 
maintaining the balance, with periodical chances 
of loss or gain. Look at the evolution of Christianity 
in the past, how it strained every nerve in its period- 
ical run of progress, while at alternate periods 
it appears nearly buried under the avalanche of 
opposing elements, or disfigured beyond recognition 
from falsifying and adulterating mixtures. 

The spirit of man seems to possess the exponents 
of elements for destruction as well as that of progress, 
happiness, and life. The liberty for a choice by 
opinion, among different ways with apparent equal 
feasibilities, with the desires of man in unrestricted 
bent of own-selection, or between the alternative 
of good and worse, is apparently an inheritance from 
the Creator. But the free will of activity appears 
with the being of a spiritual life of intellect. (See 
Causes and Consequences, this book.) The will that 
chooses at the standpoint of election may be a nega- 
tive element and influenced by all possible circum- 
stances without weighing their properties for the 
situation ; yet a personal liberty is present generally as 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 287 

a part of the individuality of man, and responsibility 
is its counterpart. 

Man's opinion, when not coalescent with the higher 
principles and theories of life, will thus alter accord- 
ing to the tension of influence he may be subject 
to. And organizations may change the features 
of issue, divide and dissolve as experiences furnish 
examples for. But life, in its objective essence, has 
the character of eternal existence, and its properties 
are active with the individual. The franchise 
of spiritual safety will then be to cultivate the appre- 
cious appearances of it within one's own self-being. 
Seek it from an imaginary essence of society or from 
that of an organization and the result may be empti- 
ness, when the intoxication of a fluctuant sentiment 
shall have disappeared, or you shall have fallen 
in disgrace with their surface popularity from which 
no power on Earth can save their adjudged victims. 

Most of my contemporaries of this country know 
from reputation the name of the genial Henry Ward 
Beecher, while perhaps but a few know the veracity 
of the charges against him which at the time tore his 
fame from the summit of popularity. It is not my 
intention to "find" with the church society to which 
he belonged, for he was popular all over the country. 
But why couldn't the congregation save him from 
disgrace, although it claims a greater power — that 
of absolvation? Because it was moved by the senti- 
mental current and those who pronounced him guilt- 



288 THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 

less stood one by one. The social ban thus gained 
the strength of popularity; the sentiment of purity 
was hurt, and its judgment expresses more daringly 
than does the Gospel in practical life. The evidences 
in that case as far as known are yet absent. 

The customary way of the Roman Catholic Church 
to throw ban at heretical persons or teachings is not 
an affair ' by divine rights with that organization, 
and the reformed churches admitted this point from 
the opposite position. The formal laws and statutes 
of any church organization are the only rightful 
instruments of punishment of its members, and which 
limit is exclusion from the right of membership. 
The spiritual executive power is by special divine 
calling vested with the individual where the spiritual 
life is active, and then always coherent with truth. 
flow could any one believe that God, who is right- 
eousness itself, would sanction a ban thrown out 
on false motives or premises ! We know the history 
of that church, and it wouldn't be necessary here 
to recite the periods of its terror and cruelties 
in order to gain strength for any argumentation. 
Long standing of a usage will not establish it a law 
when the qualities of its propriety are absent. 
The proper remedy would be to throw overboard all 
that is deceptive and falsifying. To be in the truth, 
oh, what a position gained ! And vice versa with the 
contrary. Behold how coming generations rush for 
that point, eager and anxious, as if the entire treasure 



THE POWER OF SENTIMENT 289 

of the material world was involved ! No work, 
no sacrifices are deemed too good. They rush for the 
object of life and for safety ! 

God, let our lives and works in truth be bound, 

Hearts own both rights and dues in thoughts and actions, 

That when with light of judgment thou wilt come around, 
Thou mightn't find us with thy will in fractions. 



FIFTH BOOK 

SELECTED POEMS 



SELECTED POEMS 

GRANDEUR 

Let us all who know thy name, 

Live thy praise, O God our Father! 
Round that name are wreathed grace and fame — 
All thy children hopeful around it gather! 
May the glory of our Master, 

By his teaching and examples, 
Free our hearts from vanity and from disaster 
And prepare us for God's temples. 

Ruler of the world and universe, 
Thy grandeur may be traced 

In all thy tracks — 
And scores of thousand years 
Could not thy laws and holy will erase, 
Nor either of thy doors of mercy lock! 
May the glory of our Master, 

By his teaching and examples, 
Free the hearts from vanity and from disaster, 
And prepare us for God's temples. 

By thy presence life originates and grows to strength; 
Mortals in the countless kinds receive their destina- 
tion 
Like various in shape as life of length; 
All in harmony with fashion ! 

2 93 



294 SELECTED POEMS 

And beloved thy children were bestowed the soul and 

reasoning mind. 
May the glory of our Master, 

By his teaching and examples, 
Free our hearts from vanity and from disaster, 

And prepare us for God's temples. 

May we, therefore, try to listen to thy voice 

While living on the Earth which first was thine! 
From our years of youth we will have thee for our 
better choice 
Until the light above upon our heads shall cease 
to shine! 
May the glory of our Master, 

By his teaching and examples, 
Free our hearts from vanity and from disaster, 
And prepare us for God's temples. 



GROWN PEOPLE 

I claim to know by fair degree, 

Distinctive marks for manhood as for child, 
But shouldn't lack the liberty 

To mingle them at some junctures mild. 

To those who think they suffer humiliation, 

Applying to themselves that divine affix with God 
above, 



SELECTED POEMS 295 

I might release my heart relation, 
But couldn't cancel brother-love. 

When one by choice remains a child, 

Though taught and grown, or skilled and strong, 
What knowledge more serene and hale 

Than to what destination human life belong. 

If times abound in one theory, 

And all the rest be left at sea, 
Which fail admit the resultory 

In diverse works of destiny. 

And even fraction claims the one, or borrow 
Tradition-right, or by the heart's conviction 

Why wonder, then, when road grows narrow, 
Which leads to truth, through contradiction. 

There is a time of human childhood, 

When people sing and play, 
It reaches on to the age of manhood, 

When people sing and cry. 

The cry not always arose from sorry, 

From pain of body nor from wounded heart; 

It mostly is the breath of fancied worry, 
And may most noble 'chievement thwart. 

The visible and earthly blessings 

Which to the soul are getting dear, 
An Eden without wants and ceasing, 

Is wooed for future life and moment near. 



296 SELECTED POEMS 

But lo ! not always is that gate 

An easy matter to re-enter, 
Though frequent' charged by hopes and faith; 
The angel with the glittering sword 

Still keeps a watching at the center. 

Those charges are not wholly spilled, 
Though mercy sometimes makes delay. 

The list of wants is often filled, 

While wisdom thought it best, a nay. 

If desire would stop to consider well, 
And modesty count what you lack, 

Then wisdom would like to come near and tell 
You not to wish the past come back. 

From history you hardly would, 

For want of meat and fancy matter, 

Greet Moses back to Egypt, should 
His troops in foul reaction scatter. 

The surplus of the good times past, 

Like old incumbrance bad, 
Into the Red Sea cheerfully were cast, 

Among the waste and dead. 

Why, then, before our greater Master, 
Conspire against his high command, 

Which might, if not cause real disaster, 
Detain you in deserted land. 



SELECTED POEMS 297 

OUR GREAT-GRANDPARENTS 

Once on a time two persons met 

For different destination; 
One was making cloth, and the other painted it, 

And both were well in fashion. 

For quite a space of previous times 

They had wandered and worked alone, 

In similar pursuit of different aims, 

Mostly from thoughts of the times which were 
gone. 

All their desires were coalescent 

With the voice that speaks to the soul ; 
They were led on their way by the guide most 
pleasant, 
Having divinely and natural laws for their wishes 
and goal. 

Luckily, on one of those journeys of life, 

At the point where their lines of direction cut, 

Plans from either's opinion came rife 
For constructing most ancient hut. 

Gifts, when impressed by wants and ambition, 
Clear for the wanderer a way to its view ; 

But a conclusion is brought to existence 

When between persons or laws it makes two. 



298 SELECTED POEMS 

V 

These two, however, both were free — 

They brought a thorn-like grudge, concealed, 

Which slightly made their presence disagree; 

For neither thought it could or ought, beloved, its 
calling yield. 

This probably was the first dividing ooint 

On farther road to equal right, 
Where divine and worldly thoughts, in joint 

And most opposed, have borne the fight. 

For times in periods and ages, 

Always connecting original base with attack and 
retreat, 
Dividing on broad ways, and mixing where God built 
the hedges, 
Gaining a victory half and a half of defeat. 

The first one said: "If I was not to make the 
cloth, 
The world would have to be without 
Your pictures and your ideal thoughts, 

And all your share would in the air remain and 
whirl about. 

"My works, substantial and strong, 

Conquering wants, likewise desire-creating; 

Wide as the world and by future as long 

As comfort with our race takes higher rating." 



SELECTED POEMS 299 

Answered the second of the two, 

Who drew pictures on the ground from her fancy of 
the fair: 
"When my vision was mingled with the idea of you, 
Harmonious all my presumption, but the doubt you 
was near. 

"Years gone by, rich in illustrious pleasures from 
Earth and above, 
And worldy surroundings for purpose of all which 
my fancy would please, 
Are reflections of divinity, goodness, and love, 
And too holy from Godly offspring to release. 

"I may venture continuing my way 

And find out what my guide has prepared as the 
next, 
If your cloth — I admire it as do I yourself — be in 
value too high, 
And your flattering of being bewitched by my 
presence should be a pretext. 

"The independence of yours may relay 

On prominence from the beginning. 

Which was preferred, then, of air and clay, 

When Earth at first took start of spinning?" 
***** 

The first one figured and thought along; 
He couldn't see his way of winning; 



300 SELECTED POEMS 

He knew his cloth was nice and long, 
But didn't reach to the beginning. 

This was not a matter of competition ; 

Their lines most contrasting in essence and 
kind. 
Test and opinion would have made the position 

Surmountable for his ambition and mind. 

Merely a self-certain thought-demonstration, 
To bring his calling only, close to prominence; 

'Tis said before that both were well in fashion, 
The balance rested on their guide and chance. 

But finally they made it up 

That both might take a chance in wending; 
They neither could the spinning stop, 

Nor were they there, at the beginning. 



MEN-OF-WAR 

The naval forces of this Land, 

In peace as well as battle's smoking-hot contest, 
On duty and for flag can bravely stand. 

Watch — awake like eagles, on the sea 
By night as well as day — 

And on the dry, as do our soldiers among the 
rest. 



SELECTED POEMS 301 

Large-hearted sons of the ocean, 

Bringing the flag of the million homes around the 
sea undulating and free, 
Keep, when America needs such a safeguard of 
veterans, 
Watch for the enemy coming by sea. 

Hand them an order to sail for the scene 

Of danger, to hold watch, or for the battle fierce 
preparing; 
Manly they head for the point with intention serene, 
Claiming the victory, fair, when the smoke of the 
battle is clearing. 

Large-hearted sons of the ocean, 

Bringing the flag of the million homes around the 
sea undulating and free, 
Keep, when America needs such a safeguard of 
veterans, 
Watch on the enemy coming by sea. 

Men like our Dewey, Sampson, and Schley 

Issue from among them to match the occasion, 

Gaining by virtue of deeds most worthy and high 
'Mong heroes a place near the heart of the nation. 

Large-hearted sons of the ocean, 

Bringing the flag of the million homes around the 
sea undulating and free, ; 



joa ted y 

Keep, when America needs such a safeguard of 
veterans, 
-tch for the enemy coming by st 

Mermaidens only could follow their tracks. 

But not vex them with the:: songs and charm 
In racing they left them at a distance aft, 

And in battle they frighten them with cannon 
alarming. 

Large-hearted sons of the ocean. 

Bringing the flag of the million homes around the 
sea undulating and fr^ 
Keep, when America needs such a safeguard 
veterans, 
AVatch for the enemy coming by sea. 

These mermaidens always opposing to fight 

Among men. but may lead you against gales and 

across break e 
lining and keen is their power, but their trait, 
Prob'ly on duty will cause you a wreckage. 

Large-hearted sons of the ocean, 

Bringing the flag of the million homes around the 
a undulating and fr 
Keep, when America needs such a safeguard of 
Vetera: 
Watch on the enemy coming by sea. 



SELECTED POEMS 303 

Master of wild forcy ocean ! 

Give to our sailors on watch or for order, 
When directing their ways across its unbroken surface, 
for sail or for steam, 
Safety when gone and a happy return to the borders 
Of our country awaiting their coming with love and 
esteem. 

Large-hearted sons of the ocean, 

Bringing the flag of the million homes around the 
sea undulating and free, 
Keep, when America needs such a safeguard of 
veterans, 
Watch for the enemy coming by sea. 

MEMORIAL DAY 

Hear the bugle call! 

Again its sounds burst forth, 
And summon patriots by all ; 

Americans from south and north, 
To celebrate memorial day, 

In shadow of the summit of the peace 
Which came on Earth to stay — 

'Mong mankind, fraught with chance to never cease. 

Remind these armies young and gay, 

When sounds again the bugle call ! 
Brought forth by opposing stir and sway 

Of times, as do controversies all, 



304 SELECTED POEMS 

Which whirl them on to force and fight, 

In due response to situation; 
On watch or march by days and nights, 

What great convulsive droughts in nation! 

That current drew from every side, 

Most all what patriotic hearts and hands pro- 
duce, 
And hatred added to that tide 

Did not its force reduce. 
It carried on to heroes' deeds as well as blunted 
slaughter, 
And fathers, sons, as well as mothers, daughters, 
Were keenly with those armies bound. 

*Tis not the dust-rcmainings of their mortal frames 

Alone that gather us to-day 
Anew, with flower-wreaths, around the withered 
graves 

Of those who have passed away, 
Whom we style the true and braves; 
Nor monuments of artful sculpture, 

Keep alone the life-size picture of their earned 
fame, 
Or mingle it with our living culture; 

But in our thankful memory 
A space be tendered to their patriotic strife, 

And deemed a-worthy of the liberty, 
We try connect to lasting life. 



SELECTED POEMS 3°5 

Then, always come again, memorial day! 

Remind us what our heroes done 
When perils partly held the fort, 

With friendship placed before the guns! 

How can we count them all who have passed away, 
For fear of locking out and make the number short. 

Along the hillsides, far from home, 

Were graveyards roughly made, 
And cover of friendly earthen loam, 

With forest wild for calming shade, 
Perhaps, where no one mortal knows, in silent 
hours; 

No marks were left to tell them all, 
But in our hearts still grow some flowers 

Which on the self-same spots may fall. 



THE AMERICAN GIRL CYCLIST 

She leisurely rode over road and field, 

And here, on the measured track, 
She wouldn't her rate to contestants yield, 

And she made on the records attack. 

There was fear she would make an exhausting draft 

On her mental and bodily power, 
And merely she dared to think of the craft 

At the finishing mile and hour. 



306 SELECTED POEMS 

While they swiftly compared the miles and length 

With the hours which silently flew; 
It seemed, though, that she knew her strength 

And I noticed her tension grew. 

This was the finishing day of the ride, 

Several already stood to her credit ; 
Now her contestants were spurring their pride, 

One of them steadfastly gained on her merit. 

Close by the finishing stake 

Waited a bouquet of flowers magnificent, 
As a trophy for all, for the winner to make; 

Readily, to all it appeared an assistant. 

Spectators, mixed both of sex and by classes, 
Gathered suspended on point of the view; 

A moment was that when the mind of the masses 
Closely is held by the power of a few. 

It was not because of the crowd which was there, 

Or the many admirers, the less, 
But she thought of her right, if she won, to appear 

In the Parisian, London, and Berlin press. 

Besides, she would prove her attempting whim, 

What pleased her sweetheart's test; 
Better, she thought of her loving Jim — 

When compared with all the rest. 



SELECTED POEMS 307 

The race attaining more speedy still, 

Requiring an equal increasing strain, 
Yet she controlled herself at will, 

And knew she would still have to gain. 

I noticed attacks from doubts and fear; 

At times they turned her countenance pale; 
They were wrought by the ghosts that watch at the 
rear, 

But she drove them away with a smile. 

Still, the speed increased as time drew near, 
Till it touched the top of a hot contest ; 

I felt a desire, if I could interfere, 
To offer a space of rest. 

Have you ever seen when the warriors charge? 

You heard of it somewhat at least; 
When all is put on a "single card" 

The chance to win and subsist. 

This, too, was a charge of a finer degree, 
Though grapeshot and bullets flew less; 

But nature defended her own decree; 
Her limits unsafety possess! 

On they carried the hot contest 

Through moments of silence and length, 

Compromising weakness, pain, and the rest, 
For continuing courage and strength. 



308 SELECTED POEMS 

Thus her powers were brought to bear 

On a point which would take no less 
Lest she runned the risk to come in at the rear, 

And forfeit to be named in the Parisian, London, 
and Berlin press. 

Finally and first up to the stake she hastily bounded, 
Embracing, apparently beaming, the glorious trophy ; 
As would the wreathed heroes do, forgetting all the 
troubles of past, 
While applauding roars in most expressive cheers 
resounded, 
And notoriety gained fast. 

THE EAGLE 

Eagle which journeys over land and sea, 
Seeing the sight before telling the story, 

Spread out your wings, while the others must pay 
Fares and for money take worry ! 

Sail, then, away for your powerful wings, 

Far above earthly matters ! 
Queer, but not untrue to you look the things, 

Until the whole of the view you may gather! 

Fly, and each beat of your powerful wings, 
In joyful exemption from paying the fare, 

Be it a praise to the Lord, our king, 

While money runs slowly through worldly care. 



SELECTED POEMS 3°9 

Tiresome may be through the lofty air your flight, 

But then there are places of resting; 
Always a safe place by day you may find, and by 
night, 

And food, when for such you may feel interested! 

Eagle, take care ! 

When descending for rest, through the lofty 
journeys; 
Hunters may lurk around these places, near, 

If no one should watch you in earnest ! 
Oh, when in morning you swing to the height, 

Dim with the dawn, 
Away above Earth like the rays of light, 

Seen by the many, but hunted by none! 
Make sign to the Lord with your wing-beats, his glory, 

And give in conclusion the whole of the story. 



ALASKA AND ITS TREASURES 

By its essence gold is true ; 

'Like on surface and at heart, 
And its glimmering color new 

Speeds the racing world, or thwart. 

Sometimes gold when brought to light 

Assumes a second nature; 
Man by contemplation might 

Make it high by worths creature. 



310 SELECTED POEMS 

Falsehood to the golden treasure 

Man will sometimes attribute, 
When on faith it fix its pressure, 

Even lead them on decline to brute. 

Beware where hidden danger lays ! 

When faith will offer equal half, 
And divinely self of spirit may 

Confess the living God and worship golden 
calf. 

If the golden volume grows 

Taller than ij:s rich possessor, 
Common sense and technique prove 

That he is transposed the lesser. 

Nature, through her storms and cold, 

In her rudest dress, Alaska; 
Most complex in air and mold ; 

Fraught with hopes and troubles attached; 

To adventure-loving peoples 

Who invade its frozen field, 
Defenseless by its mighty steeples, 

And on its plains devoid of shield, 

Has revealed its drawing treasure, 

To what amount is yet untold; 
It would grant to some that pleasure 

For an embrace in its fold. 



SELECTED POEMS 3 11 

But for safety to its guests, 

Never stood Alaska grantor; 
While its wishes may be best, 

Turns its perils on by cantons. 

While along its haggard coast, and lengthy, 

Generous the ocean brings 
From the mystic depths its stores of plenty; 

Many delicious, useful things. 

Most its terms were known before, 
'Mong the learned and the masses, 

When embarking for its shore; 
Fixed for entering on its passes. 

On its inland region 

Powers'* have by long possession 
Absolute a founded throne 

From which rule is no secession. 

Should invaders all conclude 

By unanimous decision 
To dislodge them or elude 

Their effects by contradiction. 

Such an effort would, in fact, 

Serve to spread before creation 
That a power there compact 

Held its own to every nation. 

♦The elements characteristic to that region. 



312 SELECTED POEMS 

But on terms of narrow space, 

To intruders hard condition, 
Right reserved to change at grace, 

Stand the laws for all admission! 

The queerest role they often play 
Who see the golden treasure only far away, 
While close by, whence their journey starts, 
Its equal lays iri greater parts, 

Within the mystic future hidden, 

Awaiting will and busy hands, 
For to reality be shaped and bidden 

By force as well as chance. 

Gold alone would hardly give, 

Above useful wealth of other kinds in Earth, 
For labor settled chance to live, 

Or industry a healthful worth. 

Through the greater veins it flows, 
While into the thousand branches 

Mere reflecting glimpses it throws, 
Drawing forth the fat substances. 

Or in great collection bear, 

By its genuiny jingle, 
Confidential sound on business' ear; 

Causing other values mingle. 



SELECTED POEMS 3 r 3 

However rude, Alaska, yet keep still, 
While fortune-hunters to their pockets 

Its gold by handfuls sometimes fill, 
And leave it back the empty sockets. 

While comrades by a greater number 

Who dug where gold was absent from its 
place, 

Would gather naught but wants and cumber, 
Till near exhausted they would quit the race. 

Their share along, of spare-possessions, 

Advanced was also on the altar 
Of wants which never makes concessions 

To have its terms subject to falter. 

But hazard would not call it fair 

To play in liberality, 
When all the players kept their share 

And let the loser free. 

Why shouldn't such an enterprise 

Contain about oneself the power 
To have them make the sacrifice 

A question of the hour! 

But subject to the logic thought 

Of what is fair and right, 
'Mong common people, if they ought 

Advance their surplus just at sight 



3H SELECTED POEMS 

Of most exaggerating matters; 

Like snow-ball grown from rolling on; 
A swell by speculative flatter, 

Till the condition real is simply none. 

Should one take pains to make reflection 
On 1 all by every contributed account, 

With times expended in connection, 

The whole would make a great amount. 

Thrown in that giant faro-bank; 

Fortunes by scores of average size, 
Most unconcerned to class or rank, 

Existence even charge such common price. 

Exclusive of the individual worth 
Which differs greatly as to what 

One judge its usefulness on Earth, 
And kind of business they were at. 

An unlimited variation, 

Inequal both in space and range, 

Has the self when born by imagination 
Or by fortune's fickle change. 

Most bad 'tis to underestimate, 
And abuse to the rights of hope 

One's worth when figured at too low a rate, 
While a few have the chances at scope. 



SELECTED POEMS 3 J 5 

For those who have their life 

Upon the same or similar way 
Ventured for common strife, 

Their values may be equal high. 

Or should some one the lesser worth 

Be erringly apprised, 
There chances more appear on Earth 

For them, if only well devised. 

Chances may double for those who fear the most 
That on the erring strifes, they had gone; 

Who count by recollection their appearance lost 
And doubt if future also brought them none. 

Luck sometimes chooses by valuation; 

It sees in worthiness a real ground, 
Regarding moment right and situation, 

Although its reasoning track is seldom found. 

Because its guiding hand is always pointing 

To certain marks, the destination; 
These may be near, or far, where life immortal 
joining 
The times when struggles of life have close 
relation. 

The always wanting child 

Who for the moment rightly felt the "ought," 
Quite erringly has found that luck was blind 

When they abided for the object sought. 



316 SELECTED POEMS 

Should Providence his power misuse 
And for an instance wrongful, treat, 

When black bread might be introduced 
Instead of that from cream- white wheat ! 

When luck does give in forms of gold 
To those who threw that way their lot, 

While simply turning shoulder cold 
On others gathering naught, 

You thought a real wrong committed, 
Inconsequent at leisure to and fro, 

But to consider you omitted: 
It bade them prob'ly not, to go. 

While in your calling you may find, 
When in obedience of its laws, 

Luck at home, both patient and kind, 
Where prudent ways for man it draws. 

Adventures have kind and willing hands, 
Who may transmit from frequent chance, 
A golden stream profound, 
With inexhaustive sources bound; 

Some mystic "mother lode," 
In value equal to the globe, 
Just covered with an icy cape, 
Put on as safeguard against rape. 



SELECTED POEMS 3 X 7 

Why shouldn't once a mountain great, 

For reasons more than alteration, 
Among masses rude — a real freak, 

Stand paying tax for all creation! 

Where treasures by the load apiece, 

Were broke or blasted loose, 
Until the wants for more would cease, 

Except just shoveling up the grouse. 

Such tidings brought before the masses 
Would make them leave their tools and asses, 
Their cozy cottages, store and shop, 
To help remove that icy cap. 

For afterwards in underneath 
That voluminous, crystallized sheet, 
Pick up the wealth for generations 
And then indulge in swell and fashion. 

But once away to meet the facts, 
Most cool in close contact, 
A portion of one's life-blood 
It requested for his livelihood. 

And alone that personal sacrifice 
Is not the entire price 
By what they wish and try to make, 
With future sometimes all at stake. 



318 SELECTED POEMS 

Their stones who sought in vain for the gold, 
Briefly or never was told, 
The fortune-hunter who missed the treasure, 
Got by notoriety next to a measure. 

Once in awhile they take revenge 
And make by force possessive change 
Of fortune's righteous benefactions; 
By violent and brutal actions. 

Such ruling quite obscure to thoughts of right, 
When of " Nemesis" supposed out of sight, 
Daringly grows in proportion to wants, 
And the spirit of evil that vanity haunts. 

When such occurrences are brought to light, 
The wronged comrades' wrath is like the moun- 
tain's weight; 
Proceedings always deal with details short; 
And penalty is death by those pretorial courts. 

But in absence of some one to tell the tale, 
Within those forests wild and many, 

It is kept in their conscience for trial, 
And in fear of a just avenge, if any. 

On every piece of gold which chance 
To pass between your hands 
There might be left an ample space 
For record of its entire race. 



SELECTED POEMS 3 X 9 

From whence it came to pass 
Out from among the earthly mass; 
When first its color bright 
Reflected by the sunny light, 

Upon the finder's face a smile; 
A thrill of joyful pleasure, while 
Exerting all his nerves with strength 
To match the labor-day if twice in length; 

Exposed to nature's unkind features, 
From air and earth, to human creatures, 
The sole object for which he strived, 
Gave him a glimpse and kept him alive. 

And if its story all was there, 
In graphic on its color fair, 
Some narratives might also stood 
In writing made in human blood, 

Of foul betrayal by some friend 
Who caused his comrade's dreadful end; 
When gathered treasure large had grown 
For both, he would have it all alone. 

Then, if its genuiny sound 
With phonographic tongues was bound, 
Some tones lamentable but clear 
Might sound upon your ear. 



320 SELECTED POEMS 

Or chainy oaths, in vulgar voice 

Would mix and mingle the scene with noise 

Of rapid-cracking shots 

And beating with revolver buts; 

While dying groans 
Transpiring into feeble moans, 
Bring to one's apprehension 

What ghostly throng that linger along and call 
on our attention. 

But may be on the other side, 
On to its yellow surface tied, 
Most charming scenes of life 
Which to a happy home is rife. 

Encircled by a wreath of thought, 
With love and charity are wrought 
What jointly own in winning manner 
And strive to move in truth and honor. 

And when its precious value-notation 
Transformed be to noble cultivation 
Of faculties in every sense 
Which gives the human race a chance 

To fit themselves before the aims 
Brought forth by God and times, 
To each possessor it would start 
The roads to knowledge, science, art. 



SELECTED POEMS 321 



CURRENCY 



We hail thee, cooling wind from north, 

Come, sweep our land and sea; 
The stagnant, drowsy air chase forth 

Before the force and clearing atmosphere of thee. 

Forever true, refreshing message that thou have been 
trusted, 
Constantly from the solid issue around the pole — 
What cooling-store! thy mighty draughts not yet 
exhausted, 
Although thy breezy, wingy sheet reach around our 
lovely hemi-globe. 

Though we recollect thy power's force at seasons 

Easily assumes a crystallizing strength, 
Yet thy ways may not be traced by reason, 
Even when thou strew by broadcast snowy winter 
And thy tone, of course, is heard at length. 

Should we try oppose and criticise them, 

Those which seen thy harsh and heartless doings? 

I, for mine, would choose to compromise them 
For a coming spring with wooings. 

Let thy current unbound run and spread ; 

In thy tracks prevails more life and health 
Than thy rudest power caused deaths, 

By the blows thy heavy strikes have dealt. 



322 SELECTED POEMS 

Those who feel exhausted by the kinder season 

Busy, luxuriant, and floral fair, 
Might for change or more established reason 

Gleefully, by lengthy draughts, inhale thy purifying 
air. 

OUR HOME SWALLOWS 

Swallows on my window-top, 

About how long you like to stop? 

Stay to-day! But then to-morrow 

You, without dismay or sorrow, 

Take your leave, and say, "Good by," 

For the power which urges you away 

May not tarry much a longer; 

'Tis now commencing grow the stronger. 

Swallows, lately was your nest 

On my window-frame at the best, 

And your ploddering, joyful voice, 

Rising to the key of noise, 

Grew before my tender ear 

Quite familiar to hear; 

Now, before we thought of parting, 

You will take such backward starting. 

Don't forget yourself among 
What are dear and to you belong. 
Take along your summer earnings, 
All your youngsters new in learning, 



SELECTED POEMS 323 

To a mild and tender air, 
Where you need less food and care. 
They will not dislike to follow ; 
Loyal to the laws of swallows. 

Then take time to show your foundlings 
To behave in new surroundings; 
Fly in angles, curves, and straight, 
And to bear their bodies right. 

Should you come another season, 
Then, from tact or somewhat reason, 
Let the next your visit, please, 
On my window-top release. 
Just a little more remote 
Would be fair and safe for both, 
And not lessen our affection, 
But the place be your selection! 

Then your joyful play and plodder 
Human power shall not annoy; 

From the top or through a ladder 
No one shall your nest destroy. 

When you're in the sunny South, 
Dream of chilly air and blister, 

We will bravely drive them out 
With our woods and coal canisters, 



324 SELECTED POEMS 

And along with their cracking noise 
May our works in quiet, or rumble, 

Sound an overwhelming voice 
Till we into next spring tumble.- 

Then we think we also will, 
While the sunny orbit rises, 

Dream of blistering air and chill, 
Offer God our heartfelt praises. 

Greatness, in his love and power, 
Never ceased performing wonders; 

That his laws of times and order 
Never made his works go asunder! 



THE HOMEWARD-BOUND STRIKER 

(Written 1894) 

Yes, he might had a better treat 

Than many think would be the right, 
To make him silent by defeat, 

By force of power's mortal might. 

When always frustrating the growing wings, 

On birds which must flopper and impress by their 
number, 

Might provoke them turn on to forbidden things, 
Or silent remain, to face chances of cumber. 



SELECTED POEMS 325 

At times, of course, he had his ways, 

Like many else — to win his rights, 
Which justice at the present stage 

Might think were rather out of sight. 

But at the even life they found him keeping nights 
as days 

Upon his duty, true and brave; 
Not mixed by " extras" or " delays," 

His duty-trusts are not like that of slaves. 

Oft passed it on his muscular arm 

And mental care, by counting right 

The minutes in their speedy flight, 
That many others were not vexed or harmed. 

At least he thought he had a trust, 

A grave performance of a calling, 
And beside that real and pending "must," 

He wouldn't like to know his comrades falling. 



MEMORIALS OF "THE MAINE" 

The "Maine" is sunk! 

Maine, the proudness of her master? 

Lies, a victim of disaster, 
In the sea with lifeless trunk! 



326 SELECTED POEMS 

Here, combining skill and art, 
Efforts from a thousand men, 
During months and months again, 

Yielded for two sudden sparks. 

Neither Edison, Morse, or Bell, 

When they pondered on the scheme 
To control those velocious beams, 

Saw the work it caused so well — 

All those men who found their death 
By the terrible explosion, 
Given warning none, or motion; 

Scarcely time to draw their breath, 

Now are brought to final rest, 
But their tragic ending wrote 
To the future warning note: 

Don't repose on 'hornet's nest!' 

I omit to count their number, 
But that date may stand alone, 
Humiliating; still when gone; 

That will not disturb their slumber. 



SELECTED POEMS 3 2 7 



THANKSGIVING 



God, our Father, we will bring 

Thanks for what we got from thee ! 

May we of thy mercy sing, 

Of thy love which makes us free! 

What thou gave the year along 
Are too many things to mention; 

This, my brief and humble song, 

Only to thy goodness calls attention. 

Let to-day then pass review: 

Days in single file from last thanksgiving, 
Follows all by score or few; 

Let them pass from morn till evening. 

Should I try with pen and ink 

Make diversified description; 
Itemize them link to link 

Till they chain the grave affliction, 

Which have led humanity 

Most to detain its thanks from heaven, 
And life's center of gravity 

On its mortal self ingraven. 

I may start the countless mention, 

On the list of what was given 
Day by day — all worthy of attention, 

On demand, by rules, or mercy even. 



328 SELECTED POEMS 

Could. I, in a single day, 

When my vision into forms transmitted 
That which comes by mercy's way, 

And when justs and dues omitted, 

Make a legible description 

Of continued gifts profound, 
Like a stream of pure perfection, 

While the Earth once turned around. 

Could it also pass before my vision 

How arrangements were made 
Into classes and divisions; 

Pending their existence on each other's aid. 

Should the entire list extend 

Quite beyond your contemplation, 
And unfounded murmurs into praises change 

In life at large as well as for occasion. 

While the scenery changes by approach of the night, 

He quietly will summon to rest 
All who were tempering their efforts and might 

To cope with their program as best. 

Freedom alive, be it always awake, 

Slept has it neither by day or at night; 

Stars what a space in their orbits they take ; 
What a speed takes the current of light. 



SELECTED POEMS 329 

Those who by harvest had nothing to gather, 

Thanksgiving pass them not by, 
As a foreign and unconcerned matter, 

Which may come if it pleases or stay away! 

Wonder was there not a kernel 

On their pathway when they thoroughly sought, 
Then open life's stores of memory — 

And equalize where may be naught. 

Everything that draws its breath, 

Even those that seem to linger 
In forgetfulness and secrets, 

Has he counted on his fingers. 

No appearance on pretext; 

All are solemn laws and order, 
And of humanly doubts unvexed; 

There is room for every boarder. 

Things which merely seem by chance 

To exist without a keeping, 
Might, in well-enlightened sense, 

Inspire to praise instead of weeping. 

Mornings, when cleared in the brightest of hue, 

Over the horizon untiringly leap, 
As an advance-guard with time-boards for you, 

Lest the comings with the day should be thrown 
in a heap. 



33° SELECTED POEMS 

Yes, we wish thee thanks, our God! 

Life must be a grander day; 
May thy goodness be observed 

Until we shall pass away. 



THE POLITICIAN IN MINORITY 

Years ago, I was aware they thought, 

Among my friends and fellows on the other side, 
That also I an office sought, 

And had prepared to lead the tide 

Into my business-life-position; 

Of course, I figure in politics, and claim 
The right of votes, like others of this nation; 

My efforts, though, for fellowmen were aimed. 

A rather brisk campaign had just been closed, 

And on the battle-ground were left 
Some offices for spoil disposed, 

And all, defeated side bereft. 

To make attempts in case like that, 

And get for writing the opinion of others and 
of mine, 
An office which is rather fat, 

Had scarcely entered on my brain. 



SELECTED POEMS 33 1 

But still, I said: What is the use 

To enter my protest, 
Which might look like a flat refuse, 

And differ from the bigger rest. 

But you have chance for doubt if this was done 

In favor of my case: 
The other faction took their guns 

And fought it like a real race. 

As sometimes guns in politics 

Are fired at pelter-melter, 
And when in hands of ring or clique 

One's party offers but little shelter. 

In fact they fought imaginary foes — their own 
belief, 

And at the circumstance they aimed 
They fired at any supposed relief 

Thought possible, in support of my claim. 

Though most of their guns had but little effect, 

Beneath my feet in the earth; 
But around my presence with due respect 

They tore up drives of stones and dirt. 

My affairs of business they also would tear, 
Destroyed my credit and good reputation, 

As far as their influence could bear 
On surroundings and every occasion. 



33 2 SELECTED POEMS 

And life, in its private connection generally sacred to 
the race, 

Throughout the civilized world. 
Regarded were by them "good prize"; 

They threw it all into the whirl. 

Most tender points of feeling to the human heart, 
Which shift particularly as the persons differ, 

They spied with low-selected art, 

To make the hit and have them suffer. 

Unworthy to our kind, in principles as institution, 
Comittance cruel! 'Tis all for fear of letting 
loose 
Official construed positions; 
• Thou party spoils, what fat-supposed goose! 

Hence, don't complain to man and God 

That men in office have no heart, 
'Tis known God made them one, and this they 
had 

But you prob'ly killed it before the office start. 



SCEPTIC 

Once set out two fishermen 
Who had for some time past 

Been lacking just the means at hand 
By which to break their fast. 



SELECTED POEMS 333 

Their stores of living have a space 

In range and magnitude immense, 
But to get at it is a race 

'Twixt trained courage and the turn of chance. 

They venture 'cross the mystic depth 
In crafts proportioned like the egg-shell, 

Although on board they always kept 
The life-worth of important self. 

And sometimes peril follows close 

Upon their trackless way ; 
It lingers along the road of those — 

And tries to make them stay — 

To gratify its vile desire 

And join it in the stirring chase; 
To teach them truly to admire 

Its superhuman power and grace. 

Oh, think if it should try in vain 

When to its power it fixed its will, 
These plucky seamen even to detain 

And capture all their art and skill! 

And when it happens that mortals fail 

To return from the race, 
Then, peril coax their sons to sail, 

Revengeful half and half for praise. 



334 SELECTED POEMS 

These fellows had from incident, 

But slowly, at limited rate, 
Their store of surplus all expent, 

Except, traditional, the bait; 

Which almost is a tender sort, 

Like, high regarded a relish 
'Mong men of testful turn and sport, 

As well as bird and fish. 

Said one, who cause from happenings wield, 
Through thoughts beneath his surface rude, 

When unto their mystic gaming field 

They, trained and self-possessed, intrude: 

"My friend, I think we ought to-day set prudence 
'bove our skill, 

And though, with great respect for luck, 
Leave for ourselves a portion still, 

Instead of baiting every hook. 

"It seems like old signs bring in view, 

That fierce gale astir of the past, 
Prepares to make attacks anew, 

And who will bet how long it will last!" 

"Quite different are thoughts of mine; 

My chum, I threw my lot with luck, 
I shall prepare my entire 'line' 

With bait on every hook. 



SELECTED POEMS 335 

"'Tis from the chances we must wring 
Lay-offs from stormy days, you see! 

And thus we must take a fair revenge, 
For weeks we couldn't match the sea. 

11 Besides, 'twould look like grateless snub; 

Most foul confidental lack, 
If for the sake of one day's grub 

We should bar 'im from payin' back." 

Thus both, from their point of own belief, 

Their "lines" set out with hope, 
Each threw on the morrow the burden of grief, 

On this seemingly unbound scope. 

One of them, trusting on fairness and luck, 

Staked his entire share, 
While the other, by leaving some empty hooks, 

Reserved the "bill of fare.' 

When night had leisurely rolled up 

Its loom over sea and home, 
It carried the pitch of a gale to the top, 

While beating the waves to foam! 

When day broke forth through the clearing sky, 
Over roars from the surf and gale and men, 

They thought their safety was great on the dry, 
But the scene was imposing to them. 



33 6 SELECTED POEMS 

Not one of the entire fisher fleet 
Which lay for refuge or the home 

Dared to try on a craft to meet 
And dodge the terrible foam ! 

"3f w W W 77 

In a cozy cottage, some way from the shore, 

At a table sat a party of eight, 
To dine, and among them our friends of before; 

And their fare was — reserved from the bait. 



PEACE REVERSED 

Do try and cease thy cry, O Peace! 

Because exigencies thy voice have bound, 
God will thee times, when due, release, 

When equity the normal sought has found. 

'Twill come to pass, as well as did thy intercep- 
tion, 

That to thy future race thy triumph may 
Connect the nations with a peace-conception, 

Since God in mercy bade thee stay. 

Among humanity on Earth, 

As long as life eternal be astir, 
And even chance of second birth 

Upon thy sublime being has conferred. 



SELECTED POEMS 337 

We will feed thee, Peace — 

'Tis most sincere, our solemn vow — 
Upon our life-blood then, as would we now 

If thou thy cry could only cease. 

HOPE 

Spring, darling, are you coming 

To drive away the cold and ice, 
And by your lovely breathing 

To cut the snow a slice by slice 
And thus prepare the buds for blooming? 

Spring, darling, will you come for good 

And do away the cold and bliss 
Which through the long and weary winter 

Put on my chin so many kiss? 
The wild-birds have beneath the icy coat their store 
of food. 

Spring, darling, will you tarry still 

Another space of time, 
Until the force of season shall 

Appear by law to make its claim, 
And satisfy the eternal will? 

Then we will wait in faith and hope, 
And dream of your good-looking smile 

Before the stormful wintry air 

Last year had drove you in exile, 

And still a while with gloomy season cope! 



33 8 SELECTED POEMS 

But this I know: When you are coming, 
You then will make a handsome haste, 

Prepared for the entire race, 

And not in vain a space will waste, 

For you must really start the blooming! 

Spring,- darling, when you choose to come, 

We know you will come flying, 
And save the buds and seedlings weak 

From sickly doubts and dying; 
You know your way to every home ! 

But then, may be, 'tis on the hearts 

That God by this your way will show his 
blessing ; 
JBeyond the measure of this life 

The mortal mankind here is guessing 
A life whence spring shall not depart. 

Spring, darling, then to every home 

Bring what you please and will; 
When human beings lock you out, 

Settle near their presence still, 

While we feel thankful that you come! 
And since you undertook to lead, 

You lead them into summer, with blossom-promise 
for the fruits; 
And when the ground is thawed and freed, 

The seedlings frail inherit life by spreading out 
their roots. 



SELECTED POEMS 339 

THE CHICK 

Unto a garden once there went, in sunshine and 
alone, 

To play and feed on bugs and seed, 
A chick which was nearly grown ; 

She dreamt of neither fear nor need 

At home, in the safe but restricted pen, 

With companions all of her brood, 
She left the watchful brooding hen 

Guarding and scratching for food. 

All morning portion of the day 

She swelled away in gleeful sport, 
'Mong leaves and bushes, light and gay, 

And drunk the glittering dew-pearls forth. 

No tie restricting from behest 

To bound her illustrious way, except 
When thought of old untimely nest; 

How foolish her companions crept 

Around the careful, chuckling hen, 

Which scarcely counted on their skill, 
When keeping them close in a narrow pen, 

Despite their good and sincere will. 

*<UL Jtfl .V, JUL 

W 77 W W 



34° SELECTED POEMS 

Seldom the moment is rightly adjusted, 

Neither of epochs, joy, or of sorrow: 
A view of its measure should only be trusted 

By a yesterday, or by a morrow. 

Here, most favorite condition of the past, 

Shifted color merely by reflection; 
Aided by a live illusion that the last 

Turn of road goes in desired direction. 

From a place of luck and sunshine, 

Stormy times look shuddering with discomfort and 
terror, 
But let the effects with their causes be combined, 

Then might displeasure contemplate the error. 

When from positions of advances you look back, 
'Tis proper when experience is teaching, 

Or the assurance of your road-direction lack, 

And the starting point is not without your reaching. 

TV vf V 7T w 

When through the tense of glee and day, 

Surroundings new and pleasing, 
She had prolonged the touring stay 

Through space which seemed not ceasing, 

She strode away quite far from the hen 

And companions of lifelong standing; 
As for fear of being retained again, 

Once more unfree and depending. 



SELECTED POEMS 34 1 

But lo, away yonder rose a cloud, 

The smiling sun had veiled his face 

By means of approaching misty lace, 
A chilly wind was whispering loud. 

'Mong weeds and trees and bushes, 

Rolling up waves of cold and clouds, 
The chick bewildered making rushes 

For shelter, scared and chilled, in vain. 

Back home where her tranquil corner remained, 

Gone were way and direction ; 
The warning chuckle was brought to silence, 

The past was a mere recollection. 

Malicious beside a hole, 

To watch the appearance of a rat, 
Which swiftly from his chances stole, 

Pretending peace, sat mute a cat. 

By chance the chick would pass the very path, 

And partly blinded with despair, 
Innocent of such living trap, 

Perceived his lukewarm silken hair 

Vibrating softly about his breast, 

In sable waves, like the feather-down 
Which afforded comfort in her nest; 

Proviscient while was made her gown. 



34 3 SELECTED POEMS 

As sport is always home with qualities of cats, 
To let advantage pass of such important change, 

Too doubtful, slim was chance which he before was at; 
And the prize considered only a fair revenge. 



OUTSIDE THE FENCE 

Close to an orchard stands a tree 

Of well-known, precious fruits; 
Its full-grown stem with top and branches 
Sways in the orchard rank and free, 

But outside is planted the roots. 

During the entire blooming season, 

When stirred by the breezy air, 
It shades its blossoms in richness of flora 
Through all the orchard it brings the aroma 

In manner of zephyr most pleasant and fair. 

When time comes along that the fruits were ripe, 
And people gathered by choice at leisure, 

The tree which was planted without the fence 

Attracted attention by every chance ; 

The fruit would match to their taste with pleasure, 

An effort from nature's favorite type. 

The people omitted to note and consider 

That outside the orchard, it hidden receiving its 
suction, 



SELECTED POEMS 343 

Respirant for luxurious blooming and fruit, or for 
either, 
While rustic surroundings in nature's diversing 

aspect 
Mixed in variety's gay proposition, for a fanciful 
test to select, 
But lacking presumption for fruit production. 

Year by another would pass in that manner; 

Season of blooming as well as that of yield, 
Nature disposing her gifts as perchance, but reserved 

the Creator the honor, 
And the tenants accounted their dues for the works 

of attention 
While the tree standing outside would scarcely be 
mentioned ; 
They even omitted enlarging the field. 

But also from cause of reversing matters 

Passed the winter with dark and stormy nights 
Under which cover of their gloom and with purpose 
to gather 
Daring, the fiend advantages sought by pretext 

of defenseless. right ; 
Who would dispute him access during the gloomy 
hours of the night 
To what always are outside the fence, 

But the uncounted ''right," sitting in session to 
doom> 



344 SELECTED POEMS 

Always by light over winter and gloom, 
And extending its issue of orders to chance. 

After a while of the mingling of events with time's 

transpirations, 
A passage of luck and of chances with reverse of 
worry, 
The master came back to his garden home. 
His journeys are planned above every contrary; 

He is never detained by storm and gloom, 
Turning in favor the weather and wind, to take in the 
occasions; 

To ascertain himself of the real condition 

Of his trees by their healthy or tardy growth; 

As their blooming and yield must suit his ambition 
It seems to concern him — the appearance of 
both; 

And if finding that some were neglected to die! 

Attendants would risk to be driven away; 

He goes by accounts, which they dread to remind: 

Master when gone is not always behind. 

Distributed gifts by gentle nature, 

Even of essence most high and gay ; 
And equal as value to material treasures, 
Or be it the foremost by scores among creatures, 
Seldom will suit the applying measures: 

Being obtainable free of pay. 



SELECTED POEMS 345 

Tell them, in cold and stormy days, 
Of sunshine remote and coming 

That will light and warm with its luminous rays; 
Tell to a broken heart from sorrow : 
There will be flowers anew to-morrow; 

What is the use, when they want them to-day. 



COMING TO THE FRONT 

Roll, then, forth, ye warrior tides; 

Onward, before ye cease; 
Make suppressions vile, their hold on liberating works 
abate ; 

Roll until the tranquil bay embrace ye for the peace ! 

Underneath that grand collective mark with stars and 
stripes, 
Swiftly move these living columns forth. 
There was a yesterday of thoughts that thus came ripe ; 
Wonder if they will avenge against the human 
rights committed torts ! 

In companionship with awe and terror, 

From their character of order roll these constant 
tides, 
Should they, if you may, by some opinion move in 
error; 
Saving, the momentum be, and victory a termi- 
nating aid. 



34 6 SELECTED POEMS 

Coming to the battle scene from left and right, 

Hear the warriors' tactive steps, monotonous grows 
their march ; 
O, may there, at their return home, a thankful token 
wreath be tied 
Upon their triumph arch. 



THE ABSENCE OF SPRING 

How could you come, O, ever hailed gentle spring! 

O morning of each passing year; 

The angel with a herald's duty; 

Without the promise which you used to bring, 

'Tis like unwritten space upon the featured brow. 

The current expectation fear 
That quite erased pledged vow, 
And mingle the future thoughts with worry; 
How could you hide your message, lovely spring! 

Just think, the power which that message keeps, 

Awaiting wide-awake, attentive ears, 

Through every grade of life in God's creation, 

Was purposely reversed to leave them all asleep, 

And with the live-awake to silence every cheer 

Which moves the hearts in civilization; 

How could that power be reversed, O, gentle spring! 

Those birds that made companionship for nesting 
And flew about with gleeful noise, 



SELECTED POEMS 347 

Expectant of a lifeful breath with coming spring, 
Alone and gloomy on their perch are resting, 
And silence about the spring has bound their voice; 
How could they thus forget their calling, not their 
praise to bring! 

And in the human hearts, 

Beneath the pressure of the passing winter; 

Where everlasting hope sets buds and starts 

The moves which reach success throughout life's 

journey, 
Or 'gainst adversities are thrown to splinter, 
A longing sorely tries to imitate the very things 
Which used to be proclaimed by every spring; 
How could you keep them tied, those lifting 

wings ! 

It was bestowed with the live imagination 

To see the flowers above the earthen surface peep, 

And substitute by artful ways and shrewd planta- 
tion 

Part of the florals which the absent spring 

Had left retirent in prolonged sleep; 

How could you, life-awaking spring, your silence 
keep, 

And let those flowers always sleep ! 



34 8 SELECTED POEMS 

FRIDTJOF NANSEN AND HJALMAR JOHN- 
SEN AMONG POLAR ICE AND POLAR 
BEARS 

They stood the long and dreadful night 

Of hardship polar-strong, 
With scarce and dimly change to light; 

It lasted nearly nine months long! 

Beneath Mercury's life-conserving measure, 
Amidst of nature's famous cooling store, 

The human hearts kept alive and stout, 
When even polar bears in double thick their fur coats 
wore. 

Dreaming of comfort when back at home; 

A life and future to come; 

Wondering what luck would award as their prize 

For such a risk and sacrifice. 

Cold facts which ruled that region and bade them stay, 
By certain laws, had left them lacking stuff 

For properly their house-wall lay, 
But finally they scratched enough. 

The comfort which we style "a home' 

Was substituted by a shelter; 
In rudeness built of moss and stone; 

Symmetrical to pelter-melter. 



SELECTED POEMS 349 

As carpets, bedding, table, and chairs, 

And other household goods for self-protection, 

They used the husky pelts of bears, 

Which proper worth on chilly Earth, is away above 
reflection. 

For years it covered the flesh and blood, 
Which thus preparing by its tardy growth, 

That served these men for splendid food 
As royally as would its pelty coat. 

Their window-panes were dim and dull; 

For through that polar night 
Original the darkness rules, 

Most void of sunny light. 

There wonderings are — they may be yours — 

'Tis to reasoning vital sake: 
How through that perilous daring tour 

Their life-lamp kept up and awake. 



HENRY GEORGE 

Landing at the other shore, 
That immortal tide, 

By the love of Jesus, bore 
On to safety's side. 



35° SELECTED POEMS 

To his final place of rest 

Henry George is called away; 

Divinely comes that grave request: 
Never more on earth to stay. 

Never more his voice shall sound 
• Through the crowded halls; 
Silence now his tongue has bound, 
Same as mortal fathers all. 

Through his days of prime and strength, 
By the weaker brethren's side, 

Was it that to final length, 

Most his life and works were laid. 

In their struggles for rightful part 
Of this worldly joy and woes, 

Thought he that they owned a start, 
And some promised dues. 

And by the force on battle's side, 
With the weapons of the reason, 

Stood he till he fell and died 

Amidst his hope of riper season. 

Where his works in parts may falter, 

May his sincere efforts, without pretext, 

Opposed sides to fair consideration alter, 
While allowing future to produce the next. 



SELECTED POEMS 35 1 

For his works in thoughts, by speech, 

And by pen and ink; 
What he tried our people teach, 

Here, I bring my thanks. 



THE BIGGER TRIBE AND THE LESSER 

TRIBE 

At one of those upstirring times 

When mankind, civilized, are more or less 

Divided as to certain claims, 

By own belief in life's progress, 

There was a certain party that thought 
They had the road "perfection" found, 

Besides the stone of wisdom, sought, 

Which had been hunted around and around. 

So, forward they on pursuit went 

To reach it; really for possession, 
And keep it — matter thought — of final mere con- 
sent. 

When by the scores it gained a true concession. 

Their journey went across plains and valley, 

Through density of forest and over mountains 
high ; 

They could face a foe without any ally, 
And rest most easily for danger nigh. 



35 2 SELECTED POEMS 

When others count at the time just one, 
They figured by the scores and hundred, 

And their speed surpassed times of the gone, 
While the tardy took time for wondering. 

To their disposal was a range of space 

Unbound and mystic as the future, 
When earnestly connected to the human race, 

And the past be used as a measure. 

Those people were to comfort bred, 

As though it comes by industrious growth and 
other gifts in conclusion, 
From nature's distributing head, 

The everything, except confusion. 

Ungrateful rudeness was but seldom seen 

Among them, through their race's aggression; 

A moral apprehension, when established as a being 
within, 
May make the nobler gems a real possession. 

Their wise men, most, were exempted from scorn 

By the commonly styled, the many, 
Who were bred for diversified life and works, 

And with chance to exist as any. 

They were never forced to silence their voice 

When vile and indecent diversion 
Had wrought the opinions to a matter of choice 

To make equal 'twixt right and wrong assertion. 



SELECTED POEMS 353 

Opposed to vices still more when disguised 
Underneath covers of a righteous tenaction; 

Counting by wickedness' rate of increase, 
Also the time for a final rejection. 

Talents by gifts, and not current from chance, 
Had above classes and age the selection, 

Not to be wrung from possessors' pretense, 
Neither erased by threats or detention. 

Once, by incident, those people met, 

From event's course in consequence most provident, 
Another tribe or traveling set, 

Which was on similar pursuit bent. 

It was quite the lesser in strength by their number, 
But hardship had trained them to pass among the 
brave; 

Enduring at instances need and cumber, 

While many comrades took repose in the grave. 

They suffered the moment of comfort to pass 
For the object sought : the destination, 

Which partly veiled by the future has 
Above reality the power of imagination. 

Among this tribe were boatmen born, 

And huntsmen many more ; 
To warfare tried and watching worn, 

They played 'twixt mountain and the shore. 



354 SELECTED POEMS 

Their young men took in every race 

With deer and bears or tiger beasts, besides other 
hostile tribes, 
And gained preference in the chase 

With either shot or spear, unmoved by any bribe. 

While harmony in movements and actions 

Led them through the moments most profound, 

Difference to class and factions 

Disappeared when common interests thus would 
make demand, 

To facilitate uniformity for active and outwardly 
strength, 
For exigency of incidental nature or sequently 
brought, 
By collecting causes from times of indefinite length, 
Locking importance for attention of thought; 

Like a gorge which forms from accumulations 

Of matters despised when counted one by one, 
But when brought to a standstill they make the 
formation 
Of a giant, diverging the river from its natural 
run. 

At this juncture the latter would find fair excuse, 

Deriving from gravity of situation 
And circumstances most, with the big tribe to fuse 

On a basis of business relation, 



SELECTED POEMS 355 

Containing also plans for councilation ; 

Quite important matters when rife in thoughts; 
To make it thus another point of fashion; 

Trying to unite for the common object they 
sought. 

Although their ways might not from starting lay 

Upon the selfsame line, 
Developing events of times often may 

Urgently provoke such combine. 

A delegation purposely dispatched, 

Selected among their braves and wise, 
Was speedily from their leading force detached 

To pave the road for such device. 

Subsequent to forms of greeting, 

They generously offered share in friendship, ways, 
and gain of wealth, 
Against a reciprocal treating, 

And faithful assistance when with hostile tribes they 
either chanced to deal. 

But, alas! their proposition, 

After being somewhat lengthily viewed and 
weighed, 
Failed not because of foundering on condition; 

It was coolly, squarely, flat denied. 



35 6 SELECTED POEMS 

Power on their side ; a fact by number, 
Counts in favor anything except defeat; 

Besides, why should they thus encumber 

Their prospective moves with tribes of less advanced 
degrees? 

On their ways they parted, ventured, 

Not by far, though, in the same direction, 

Facing each its own adventures; 

Either confident of the future, by itself and own 
perfection. 

*?r "vf ■«• iv w 

Soon the big tribe engaged became 

To face by weapons' force, a huge encounter 

With an unexpected foe of war-bred fame, 

Which threatened weighing all its great resources. 

Every one that ably weapons draws 

Marched to the lines of fight and slaughter; 

To repulse the assailants' daring claws, 

Having laid on honor hold, besides their worldly 
matters. 

Like a ship in gale for every sail 

Tries to clear the fearful leeward shoals, 

Every man had made himself avail; 

Wise ones, "commoners," and "fools." 

Here affairs discounts on chances; 

Leisure, none to pleasing selfism bound; 



SELECTED POEMS 357 

From the death's embrace by hairbreadths went these 
grave athletic dancers, 
By a graceful motion quite the lesser, but in action 
most profound. 

No reserves sustained the draughts 

Made request by greed of cannon hunger, 

But the masses luckily left intact, 

Spread by skillful moves, preventing lines from 
going asunder. 

Other places stood they, band by band, 

Every foot of ground was fought, contested 
Till the battle's force would terminate a ''hand to 
hand," 
And victory fluctuant by one side yielding, to the 
other side reverted. 

Along the field of battle, spread, 

Marking by degrees of more or less ferocity of 
battle's wavering billow, 
Lay the wounded, side by side the dead, 

With the ground which drank their blood, as rest- 
ing-place and pillow. 

Friend and foe would seem to make 

On the brink of eternity, due conciliation 

And their hostile feeling, powerless among their 

weapons stake, 

By the virtue of mortality. 
•x- -x- * -Sfr # 



35 8 SELECTED POEMS 

At this moment of the bloody and frantic men- 
action, 
Sounded a bugle through noise of the battle and 
obscured air; 
Only the peculiar cut in its voice could possibly draw 
an attention 
Through the louder imposing roar of the awful 
affair. 

A rider appeared! In a hurried, galloping speed, 
From yonder the big tribes rear, over the nearest 
crest ; 
Pedestrians bred at the homestead rustic, would 
prob'ly have thought he fled; 
He was followed by comrades two abreast. 

When a minute had passed, they were on the side 

Of commanding chief in the field, 
And, in short, made it clear to him ; the- important 
intelligence with their ride : 
Tendering him aid, with their warriors all ready 
with swords and shield. 

The commander at once, caught recollection 

Of the messengers dispatched from the former 
mentioned tribe, 
Whose offer of fusion they threw as rejection, 

But now, for reason good, was not replied the 
second time. 



SELECTED POEMS 359 

Distant, on the other side, an elevated, timbered 
border, 
Covered from spying view and in a form of quick 
contraction, 
Stood the volunteers with saber twixt the teeth and 
guns in order, 
Waiting, all attentive and ready for action! 

Listen ! At that columnous head a bugle signal now 
commanded, 
And like a slight electric shock, this sound through- 
out the lines 
Followed with a light convulsive motion, bounded, 
Then, at once they forward flied ! 

Across an open space of ground that monstrous body 
sped, 
Making earth to quiver, shocked and fearful beneath 
its rapid hoofs, 
While acool, in perfect order forward on its prey it 
led, 
Unobstructed as to range and move. 

In the mean time proper spaces were provided 

For right of way to cross the friendly battle lines, 
Where the attack was planned to be the most effective 
guided ; 
To check the progress of the fiercely advancing 
other side. 



360 SELECTED POEMS 

Suddenly, when coming near in sight the charging 
monster, 

As from mechanically construed, secret joints, 
Divided into section forms of regular-shaped cantons; 

Directing their attacks on just as many points. 

Through these quickly opened gates into the battlefield, 
Where cannon balls and bullets ceaseless, ploughed 
the ground, 
Boldly entered the divisions, and in troops to right and 
left they wheeled, 
Rushing upon their antagonists, victory certain, by 
hurrying bounds. 

Others wheeled around the wings to break the enemy's 
guarded flanks, 
Facilitating the climax to the frenzied affair, by 
causing consternation and terror; 
Shattering the masses, sustaining the casual fall from 
his ranks; 
Inflicting penalty of death to the foe for every 
omittance, imprudence and error. 

Grand, but chilling to the bones and heart, 

To the spectator of homely tendencies and normal 
life, 
Is the scene of just the entering part; 

While the further acts, obscured of battle's hurri- 
cane, create obstruction to the sight. 



SELECTED POEMS 361 

War, like other perils to our kind, has leading 
guides; 
Between life and death go weak ones often safe as 
those of force and strength ; 
Providence indefinite 'bove possibilities on any side 
May, where danger seems to cut the life-path short, 
to some concede pro length. 

When the warrior has drawn his sword, 

Loose he cuts from what is styled the peaceful 
civilization, 
And upon his patriotic pledged word, 

You may lose him for the kinder fashion. 

There are times when duty calls 

Quite imperatively for the sacrifice which some 
must suffer; 
And when nations in the spasms of easy pleasures 
fall, 
They should also listen to the voice such times may 
offer. 

When resorted to the warfare means to which other 
fellowmen may lack the heart, 
Antecessors wrote his rules in golden lines; 
And when circumstances also thus take leading 
part, 
May the ways, thought rightly out of style, be 
readopted to the time. 



362 SELECTED POEMS 

His betrothed, left at home, in times by far of the gone, 
Likely taught the true conditions of the age she 
represented, 
When in opposition to the laws of nature, worldly 
pleasures off she throwed, 
And into the cloister entered. 

On her future life's horizon to her view, 

Present circumstances by the past and grave reality, 
reflected, 
While the providential power that offers blessings new, 
Was to ways and means by course of times per- 
verted. 



MORNING 

Morning, on appearance of your fragile being 

Legible the features ever new are issued on the 

cloudless sky; 
All contain a meaning smile to many, 

And the lucky message from the high, 
Like your foremost predecessor, youth is always in 

your smile, 
From eternity whence age was not inscribed with 

marks of wrinkles, 
Destined just once for earthly seeing 
Containing but the moment of the while 

It takes to cover the space, and light throughout the 
ether sprinkling. 



SELECTED POEMS 3 6 3 

Then away, to join the race of motion, 

Goes, untouched by mortal man, your beauty, lo 
forever ; 
Though, remember, 'tis the advance-guard for coming 
day, 
And your followers may come, and cease their 
smiling never; 
Guiding destiny of man upon its countless ways, 

But original each one revealing to our view 
Like imperative as free to human notion, 

Waking man to be prepared, as were times con- 
tained in you. 

Morning, when you arose so bright, 

As would you herald to the feast among the living 
Earthly beings, 
You also chased away the gloom of night 

And undetained proposed your lifetime, free to 
mortal seeing. 

O, we guess you couldn't stay a longer; 

Yonder in your track approaches the day 
With power of the grown and with the light much 
stronger, 

And these rules of order leaving chance for no delay. 

But when your comrade-followers shall call with times 
to come, 
And gently arouse us for our duty of the day and 
morrow, 



364 SELECTED POEMS 

We might turn the leaf of yesterday, forever gone, 
And think of smiling morn, which stayed so brief, 
with sorrow; 

While your followers, unrepealed, may come forever, 
With the smile of those that went, 

But the past-gone times which brought them along 

Will return, lo, O never! 

Silence with the murmur for the past; 

For life inherits in the times of a coming, 

There are measurements among man and matter, none 

To show how long it will last; 

For eternity, whence mornings come, 

Is still ajar when times furnishing up their looming; 

Hence be careful with your sorrow; 
Suppose they all were made to cease through night, 

And you might join a smile with coming morrow! 



THE OCEAN 

Wonderful original remains the nature 

Of the ocean in tranquil sleep-appearance as with its 

active powers put in force, 
What a grand affair contains its moment of creation, 
Which mystery we will only wonder-struck endorse. 
Every beat from its gigantic lungs 
Puts its world-wide arms in tidal embrace 
Of the dry formation, 



SELECTED POEMS 3 6 5 

And the next instantaneous draught of breath, 
These expansive arms are back into its bosom flung; 
O, behold that giant watery sheet! 

Sentiment? Oh, no! That term is quite too weak to 

illustrate its nature 
Hidden 'twixt its tranquil features; 'neath coquetry 

of its nicely curling spells, 
And its terrible aspect when stirred by stormy advents, 
Raising mountain-high its billows to a warlike swell; 
Just compare its playful, laughing surface 
With its loudest roars when running loose and wild; 
That will picture vaguely lion's crushing menace 
Slumbering under cover of peaceful playing child. 

Sometimes, when you're bathing in its soft and cooling 

sea, 
Or sail it in your fragile vessel on the blue-green bay, 
It may join with tender trait 
Your pleasures with its laugh and play 
And change the scene to suit your sight 
And touch the keys to harmony , 
And even hold you careless, on its bosom. 
But, lo! amidst this fancy for the human race, 
Self-conscious about the magnificence of its power 

of nature, 
Desires may seize it for a test of power in other case ; 
In unbound style it challenges to contest 
The opposite and dry creatures. 



366 SELECTED POEMS 

It gives a trembling sign or whisper to its watching 

ally— 
And then imperatively bids them seek the shore; 
The bathers, sailing crafts, as boats and galley; 
It matter little whether few or by the scores, 
But mark, the ships at sea will not surrender; 
They take the challenge and prepare for battle against 

the mighty squall. 
Then, ocean! Thy embrace is not tender; 
It tumbles them across its mystic depth, 
As were they only fragile shells. 

But not always dares it follow up the battle 

To match capacities and cause disaster; 

For, amidst its spray and wildest chase, 

There comes a message from its Master, 

And, hark! attention! It contains 

Suggestions for a pause in silence. 

Then power, frenzy, allies of elements combound, 

Submit at once to his surveillance! 

And man upon his ship possess the battle-ground. 

'Tis but once in a while that thus it chases in force 

of rage ; 
It is most of the time of friendly disposition; 
A servile element to civilization, 
Which wrought this famous world-wide trade; 
Creating wealth and friendly national relation. 
By a universal right-of-way across its mysterious depth 



*-• 



SELECTED POEMS 3 6 7 

With its archy, expansive bridge, 

Which offers resistance for colossal loads, 

And propose to carry 

Travelers and ships easily over that springy ridge. 

The ocean feeds its stock without pay 

To perfection and plenty from its own supply, 

W 7 hile the worldly surplus and man it ferries. 

Try to harness that untamed power 

And seize it with networks of chains, 

Or stop that enormous champion breath, 

Ingenious effort of man you will try in vain! 

If you figure on the ocean's tranquil sheet 

With technical matter 

To bridge its watery, circular space, 

If you saw that mighty trembling aspect, 

When it threatens or warns, as you please, 

While gathering its powers to a free-for-all race, 

Then, daring conjectures might stop and reflect. 

It offers safety, though, above disaster, 
On almost any journey across its face; 

Behind those physically lawful moves there is a 
Master 
That makes them, at his pleasure, act and cease 

And artful mankind gains the ground by new defen- 
sive ways; 

When skill and prudence turn from former chances, 
Security, as earned trophy over nature's wildest sway, 

And worth of human life enhances. 



368 SELECTED POEMS 

THE ORPHAN CHILD 

In a family large, grew a children set, 

Ranging by degrees as to ages and stature, 

From the first-born down to the lovely youngster-pet 
Who arrived the last, as a special gift from gene- 
rous nature; 

As it grew, it was cherished and loved by them all, 

And they watched it in turn to protect it from fall. 

They seemed never to grow tired to behold the 
diminutive stature 

And wonderful, beautiful form of this fragile creature. 

While at home in the family circle or among those on 

journeying way, 
Or, as matter of chats 'mong the laboring parts 

of the members, 
It was only the object for laughing and play, 

And always so easy for all to remember! 
Some of them thought that it hailed from above, 
Which was only their fancy or the breath of their love ; 
It captured them all by merely the charm of its being, 
Not by the power of speech, but they understood all 

by the seeing. 

As fancies and fictions in life sometimes to strength 
of reality grow, 
So did the pet child, in body and power of lovely 
captures, 



SELECTED POEMS 3 6 9 

Slowly, though, when compared with times which flow ; 
Natural growth seldom, if ever, is vexed by rap- 
tures; 

Its actions are silent, invisible moves, to perception 
of sight ; 

Though alive and in progress by day and by night. 

Each diminutive step is impossible fine for a material 
measure, 

Yet progress important as life and eternal 'bove 
treasure. 

When some of the members were off at the market 

to buy, 
They generally remembered a pleasing selection 
For the pet-child at home, as the matter of play, 
Making the choice at their guessing inspection; 
Thus had the pet-child at any occasion "for good and 

for worse, 
Captured their fancies, affection, and purse. 
Victories gained in love are at half by the gain of 

attention ; 
Yet for the child that aspires to the whole, it may win 

or forfeit, by luck or ascension. 

When the child had reached the age of ten, the 

parents called the house together 
To counsel in important question quietly laid aside; 
For just this moment to disclose as direct active 

matter. 



37° SELECTED POEMS 

Mysteries at times outgrow the human power at 

length, to hide; 
But also common questions own an equal right with 

many; 
When leader and the led commingle 'bout interests 

alike to any. 
At times-, affairs of entire private nature 
Assume importance only at the moment of their 

proper mature. 

The moment came expectant to them all, 

And candor most profound will hide in long con- 
cealed matter, 

Suspending interest here invoked a mixing host 
of thoughts, 
While those of every day and life aside the 
moment's care it shatter. 

Thus spoke the father of the house, who had tradi- 
tionally speaker-right self-earned, 

As by degrees the secret forth he broke into the light 
as facts concerned ; 

His tale was centered about the point in tender words 
and mild, 

His subject was their common love, and pet, the 
youngest child. 

"Ten years ago, when on the road, 

I traveled hither lonesome, from a journey, 

Beside the way deserted stood 



SELECTED POEMS 37 l 

A cradle made from branches as they grow, 

In rustic mode of form, from lack of skill, or else 

because of hurry, 
Containing, newly brought, a living child, 
Imploring silently to the passing chances for life's 

continuation ; 
It was from heaven or from nature, 
Or both — a lovely, fine creature; 

As cloudless morning bright, and like an angel mild, 
It spoke not, neither wept nor laughed, nor uttered 

any voice, 
As had it not in worldly matters yet the right to 

voice. 

"I brought it home while morning still 

Upon horizon dawning kept 

Heralding forth the coming day; 

And to its destiny I fixed my will, 

While you in careless youth and embrace of the peace 

of morning, 
Unmoved of the world's mysteries and their sorrows, 

slept, 
Though life invoke to youth an early warning 
And by its virtue side will cause to no one, thwarting 

or delay. 
Your mother fed and taught it speak and play, 
It won her heart, to place it as her own, 
Among yourselves, and yet till now this fact is by 

the rest unknown. 



37 2 SELECTED POEMS 

It won us both alike by that innocent charm 
And silent pleading's mystic might, 
And put us on the verge to choose 'tween doing wrong 
and right. 

" 'Twas but a struggle 'twixt life's condition for an 

established right to be, 
And its reverse, a void and desolation, 
Before the host of slumbering wants had taken their 

position, 
And life's conquest as detail by the incident is made 

with chance of action free, 
And that establish 'mong us all a close relation. 
I therefore will announce by virtue of my right to act 
On to success, what may depend as matter on my will, 
That she, our pet, has still as hitherto, forever, like 

one of you her right intact; 
She captured your and mine affection, 
Which is to birthright equal genuine as is it also for 

its token. 
An orphan child, when hither brought; 
But destiny besides our love has fixed her right 

as law had spoken." 

The birthday child, who also heard this most sur- 
prising news, 
But partly understood, 
As it would please her childish mood, 
When hope be allowed to supplement the lacking, 



SELECTED POEMS 373 

Remained the passive, though, the center of the 

situation. 
With radiant, expectant eyes she sought to read their 

answer good and true, 
Coalescent with her own and unmoved joy, 
While quickly along her mental way 
The entire family circle passed review; 
Her undefiled belief found everywhere a backing. 
No tears burst forth below those glaring eyes 
Agleam by life's incessant desire to view it, and 

behold ! 
She was a girl just ten years old, 
And that important revelation could not her comfort 

much annoy, 
It just conformed her right with old surrounding, 
Transmitting to the past that she was just a foundling. 

As by impulsive move she tried to break the silent spell, 

By former all-conquering charms, 

That child just ten years old; 

To make their hearts from sorrow well 

Spread out to embrace frank, her arms. 

But lo, a wave of cold had stroke 
Throughout her former gay surrounding, 

The ties of blood were strained and broke, 
And all seemed unconcerned about the foundling. 
Her pleading look and embrace ready arms, 
Could not remove the gloom which turned their love 
to harm. 



374 SELECTED POEMS 

Of course the parents' will at home was law among 
them yet, 
Against which no one dared to utter real objection, 
But their beloved and common pet, 

The orphan girl, became as common their object 
of reflection. 
When now they returned from the fair 

And met her childish chat, 
They always assumed a grown-up air 

And said that "they forgot/' 
And finally their change of hearts became a tone 

of times, 
And she discovered, to turn the tide might be her 
future aim. 

But then there was a guarding fence 

Around her presence set, 
Which was as strong for life of a coming 

As when she was beloved their pet ; 
At least it made her safe throughout her growth 
As well as during time of blooming; 
In consequence of life's display of artful wit and 

altering skill, 
It was her parent's will. 

Henceforth, when to glee and festival they gather, 
The orphan girl would seek the corner of her own, 
In companionship only with thoughts that mingle 
with the lone, 



SELECTED POEMS 375 

While occasions of mourning, 
She always shared in their presence, rather; 
Remembering the past time as child which were gone, 
Where the different roads of life join at the common 

place of sorrow; 
Thoughts of a yesterday, need but the space of to-day 
For a change to be right for to-morrow. 
Thus she grew! 

Slowly, compared with times which flew, 
To the limit of matured height, 
Guarded by laws of God and the power of right. 

THE STRANGER BIRDS 

Once came into a foreign land 

Of fertile soil and surface aspect grand, 

Surrounded by a chain of mountains, 

Which kept some rich but hidden water-fountains 

That cooled and quenched the burning thirst 

Of those who sought at late as well as first, 

Two traveling birds on passing way, 

To reach the object of their journey bound. 

They took a rest upon those mountains high, 

Where safe place for the hunting sport conveniently 

they found. 
Perhaps the subsequent prolonged stay 
Was caused by peculiar their nature's song and play, 
Until they quite forgot 
That they were on a foreign spot. 



37 6 SELECTED POEMS 

Those original impulsive by the nature, 
Distinguishing to kinds, and yet homogeneous with all 

creature. 
The people of that neighborhood 
Soon espied the birds and understood 
Their strange and fancy ways, 

To put a useful season in for merely song and play! 
The wise and prudent uttered thoughts 
'Bout life's important dues and oughts, 
But if they tried to cease or catch therri, 
These stranger birds might even scratch them. 

Such unprovoked life within their mountains, 
The warble of that unknown, frequent song 
Might be a sign exhausting to the fountain, 
Which to their sole possession all belong. 
Besides a stirring event to the peace 
When they at home were best at ease, 
If too remote should be the day 
When they would fly away. 

Meantime, when weighed by fair consideration 
That seemingly but useless play and song, 
They traced its due beyond the choice 
Of what to self-made power belong; 
Concurrent prob'ly with some destination 
Like most the rest of Earth's creation. 
The matter of their dislike and their danger 
Derived from settling where their tones were stranger. 



SELECTED POEMS 377 

But around those mountains illustrious in shape as 

high, 
There was environed a lawful tie, 
Which made the hunters all abate 
From chasing traveling birds at flight 
Or hunt them from the place they sought for resting 
In valley or abode upon the cresting, 
And there loyalty was equal strong 
To their endurance of the hated songs. 



WELCOME TO THE NAVAL HEROES! 

This country heard the rampart of the battle, 
It rung aloud throughout the entire land; 
Each cannon-shot worked like a touching note 
Played swiftly on a monstrous iron band 
Which pitch of tones is powder's cutting voice, 
With deadly beats of heavy bally rattles, 
From key-boards of the varied cannon size, 
What awe-imposing, risky play, 
Wrought up by skillful hands 
And eager watching eyes. 

This people's voice, when on the warfare path, 

While friendly and at home it may be soft and 

tender, 
Will mingle in iron pitch and wrath 
When by the dies that threw its destination thus may 

render, 



SELECTED POEMS 

To partake in such awe-inspiring play 
Wrought up by skillful hands 
iger watching 

It is for Dewey and his crew, 

And all our naval throng; 

The nation's "welcome home** to-day 

- grumes a tender, hearty tone; 

A rout their winning ways, 

While projectiles about them fly! 
Amidst that perilous play, 
Wrought up by skillful hands 
.-.:. 2 ea^er watching eyes. 

They went their ways on duty's call, 
And every ought and bravery deed 

Containing their respond in public actions, 
7.7 t:: : . :hif ztzz'.t all. 

Whose outward move is naught by fraction 
They now may join the homely, hearty tone 
That bids them "welcome homt 
From that perilous play, 

And eager watching ey e 

The people's voice has sweet and touching tones 
When undisturbed coalescent with its homely true 
expression; 



SELECTED POEMS 379 

It sounds more powerful than do the roars of battle, 
More keenly than the cutting edge of swords, 
More live expressive than its power in battle, 
That well-rewarding nation's " welcome home" 
From that perilous play, 
Wrought forth by skillful hands 
And eager watching eyes. 

'Tis like an embrace from the public spirit free, 

For heroes, though, this hearty welcome sounds 

By force of popularity ; 

On return of our sailors duty-bound, 

It changes to festival and pleasure 

That awe-imposing battle play, 

Wrought up by skillful hands 

And eager watching eyes. 

Our contributal welcome home, 
Which hails from patriotic hearts, 
Be cast into one common stone 
And built into their triumph arch. 
'Tis America that bids her heroes 
This trophy as she deemed rife 
To bravery deeds and soldier life. 
Rewarding that perilous play, 
Wrought forth by skillful hands 
And eager watching eyes. 



380 SELECTED POEMS 

FREEDOM OF SPEECH 

Speak, women, speak, 

In the assembly of many and of few! 

To all that listen may 'mong fellowmen and brothers, 

Or wherever people mingle there is right of speech 

for you. 
Freely wield the art of speech, 
When you have the force and cheek 
To contribute your ideas and light of soul to others! 
Your vision and your views are rather heard 
By men, than they are shunned and feared; 
For through your warning voice profound, 
Wrought by apprecious gifts the keener sense of faith 

and love 
With you, life's true expressions often sound, 
The quality from breed or destined chance. 
By man or Providence, 

Has laid the moral right within your choice 
As if certified from heaven above. 

Speak, women, speak, 

Who said your voice was lawful, bound, 

In the assembly of many and of few; 

If truth and nature nobly sound 

Life's joy and sorrows by the voice of you! 

Silent might rise 

To God your praise; 

If only through your brother fellowmen 



SELECTED POEMS 381 

You have the rightful public voice, 
And selfish greed detain what you would offer with 
your pen. 

Speech of the free-given word 

Joins in the current of ideas and thoughts, 

What was scattered of strong and of weak 

From the social chain as the loose-torn links; 

Human beings whom heaven bestowed 

The soul that by power of the spirit is moved, 

And knowledge to those who will labor and think! 

Mighty the free-given word, 

As the champion agent of truth and of thought, 

Cutting more keenly than edge of the sword 

Where encountering conditions of dues and of oughts. 

Falls it by scores to the ground, 

In traversing the mystic, perilous space, 

Where fatality hidden lays watching 

For the opportune moment a-snatching; 

Through its probable conquering, healing, and light- 
kindling race, 

Though, in this strife between life and death, 

Chanceful some corners for rooting it found 

In the life-being hidden beneath. 

Where the humanly spirit be fraught 

With the fortunate germs of believing and oughts. 

Powerful ally to all what is good — the spoken 
word! 



382 SELECTED POEMS 

Give it the freedom its destiny earned 

From the will of our Lord, 

Whether voiced by women or men! 

* ■& * * -x- 

While devoured by the teeth of the times or by van- 
dalism burned, 

Become much of the thoughts 

That were engraved in stone, or written by pencil and 
pen, 

And reduced to naught; 

Prob'ly the freedom that spirit may claim 

Is by sex as by different races unbound; 

As the due universal to cultural livings, 

Exempt from the grip of material thralldom that kept 
in surveillance the times, 

And sealed the freedom of modern press to the public 
in silence dumbfound, 

Closed to exchange of opinion as sought and as 
giving. 

To the right of public speech, 

Which tradition by reason of practical points has your 
sex debarren, 

Women, we venture and wish to pronounce you free! 

Where the gift be the fact with you each ; 

And your record as artists, teachers, nurses, house- 
wives, and mothers, 

Since the sacred of human life are so often by selfish- 
ness marren, 



SELECTED POEMS 383 

And its qualities divine, by opinion at least, were 

limited to husband and brothers, 
Whose pleasant relation 
By shrewd speculation 
At times divert the gentle laws of life to cultured 

tyranny. 
Spread, if you can, with your destined might, 
The beautiful spoken word 
Broadcast before the attentive ear, to the left and 

right, 
And in praise to our Lord! 



Apr 10O1 



ittniiiiiuiuiiiiiii 

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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